New Suns coach Jordan Ott takes his first NBA job: “I made the right thing”
After a bad season, the Suns had a poor performance but insufficient expensive roster, so they decided to trust a leader who had never coached in the NBA. Jordan Ott has been confirmed to lead Arizona Squad’s campaign, and he is convinced he has won the opportunity.
One thing for sure is that taking over the Phoenix team is not easy, especially among the many high expectations surrounding the franchise. “We all know what we registered when we were NBA basketball coaches,” Otter shared. “I’m not looking back here, what happened, I’m focused on moving this forward. That’s my only energy.”
Over the past Tuesday, Jordan hired former Cavaliers assistant to replace Mike Budenholzer, who was introduced to the club’s training facilities about a week after being discharged from the hospital with the Suns after his lonely season, resulting in a frustrating 36-36.
Believe it or not, OTT will be the fourth tactician in Phoenix over the past four years. “I won the right to be here,” the young coach told the media early this week. “It took me 20 years to work hard to come here in this place.”
He then added: “I used to be a great person, a great coach, a great player, let me grow, put me in a tough place and see if I can be better. I know I have won this opportunity. I will do my best to prove that I am here for the right reasons.”
First-year general manager Brian Gregory shared what the interview process looked like, which took more than a month to complete their decision. Apparently, after many candidates met with the Suns’ front desk, the two finalists were Otter and his fellow Cleveland assistant Johnny Bryant.
“In the end, there is no doubt that Jordan Ott stands out at every stage of the process,” Gregory promised. “What we are going to bring today is a hungry assistant coach who is now a head coach who has been in the NBA for 12 years, preparing for the day. His work ethic is beyond reproach.”
