The sudden importance of Steve Clifford to the Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns' 2025-26 media day was the first opportunity that the various journalists and bloggers in attendance got to speak to new head coach Jordan Ott at length, and it was an insightful conversation. It is clear just how much he loves the game and wants to succeed, with the Suns right to go after a younger coach who is taking on the top job for the first time.

Complicating matters some is the sudden arrival of Steve Nash in a senior advisory role, but Ott handled all questions regarding that appointment excellently. They have a great relationship going back to their time together with the Brooklyn Nets, with Ott clearly delighted - when speaking to the media at least - to have a familiar face he can confide in when the going gets tough.

East Coast based Steve Clifford now of huge importance to Suns.

During his media availability, Steve Clifford's name was brought up when asking how he could help coach Ott this season. It was lost in the shuffle with all that was happening in The Valley this offseason, but Clifford is now on board as a coaching advisor having left the Charlotte Hornets. Ott seemed particularly happy to have him as a mentor, and with good reason.

Unlike Nash - who is going to be around the building often - Clifford is actually based on the East Coast. This is excellent because as Ott pointed out, he can get a head start the following day on a game that might have happened the night before. Clifford being far away is also another positive, because there will be no chatter of him perhaps replacing Ott if things go south.

Clifford has also unfortunately had some health issues in more recent times, which partly explain why he stepped away from the top gig with the Hornets. He has been the leading man for several organizations, and his time with the Orlando Magic might actually be a great experience for Ott to draw upon.

That young team didn't quite mesh with the win-now ethos of Clifford, and they eventually parted ways. But that was a rebuilding team that needed a veteran head coach to lead them through the up-and-down nature of the regular season. That could have been as beneficial to Clifford as it was those players, and he can now share what that was like with coach Ott.

Really though the Suns bringing in both Clifford and Nash has similarities to what the Los Angeles Lakers did with JJ Redick. That was his first coaching job, and they filled his bench out with previous head coaches with a lot of reps. The Suns didn't quite do that - but in senior advisors Nash and Clifford - they've arrived at the same end goal. Steve Clifford will be invaluable to this franchise.