Suns boss promises to participate in more team affairs, new coach Ultra emphasizes tenacity and teamwork

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Phoenix Suns' new head coach Jordan Ott brings freshness and curiosity that could be very beneficial to the Suns

Phoenix reports - Since last season failed to make the playoffs, ending in a bland manner, the Phoenix Suns, one of the ten NBA teams that have never won the championship, have held three press conferences, each of which is important and has a different theme.

Suns owner Matt Ishbiya attended the first press conference and expressed his disappointment at the Suns' performance under former head coach Mike Budenholzer. Ishbiya promised more of the senior management to develop a tough-based team character, and later wrote to employees in his basketball operations to explain this in more detail. The protagonist of the second game is the new general manager Brian Gregory, a college basketball veteran who has worked for the team for two years, serving as a consultant for the first year and vice president of player development for the second year. Gregory’s message highlights the importance of being consistent—from the boss level to the management level to the head coach. The third press conference was held on Wednesday. The Suns introduced new head coach Jordan Ott in their training hall. Ultra is the team's fourth head coach in four seasons and arguably the most important one in decades. As the Suns seek to trade Kevin Durant and possibly send Bradley Bill away, Ultra's responsibility will be to create a system that maximizes the strength of the team's core guard Devin Booker, while developing a cohesion that will ultimately determine how far this reconstruction can go.

40-year-old Ultra gives a good impression and pays homage to people who have studied in his 12-year NBA career. Ultra said he never thought that this day would come so that he could reach the top of his career, and he just kept working hard. The theme of the Ultra Press Conference is not as easy to identify as Ishbiya or Gregory, but it may have the most significant impact on the team's future direction.

Curiosity.

Ort said it all started in the video analysis room, where he worked for a long time in college. Previously, Ott worked on the team of Tom Izzo at Michigan State University (more on that matter later) and later worked for Budenholzer (oh, that's a satirical one) with the Atlanta Hawks. “I think as a member of the video analysis room, you have to be curious and learn and realize that you are not omniscient,” Otter said. “I think I always have that in my hands.” The Suns have tried championship coaches Budenholzer and Frank Vogel, but they both left after coaching for a season. Ultra is at a completely different stage of his career, and he has a different personality. Ultra seems very confident and is not obsessed with proving who is right and who is wrong to anyone, but just wants to continue on his own path.

Ott praised Kenny Atkinson (who worked as head coach of both teams when she worked for the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers last season), calling him "the most curious person in basketball" and a role model worth following. “There are many other ways to learn basketball, but also learn best practices on the training ground, best practices in the strength room,” Otter said. “What I try to do is stay curious and keep learning.” The Suns promised that the coaching process will be thorough. This is indeed the case. Gregory confirmed that the Suns had initially 15 candidates. Initially, the general manager spoke with Suns players and others in the league to explore the traits a successful head coach should possess. Gregory said the feedback was very similar. Players hope someone can help them progress as individuals while also shaping their talents into team success. They want a standard, a person who can hold them accountable. They also hope to find someone who cares about them outside of basketball.

"You can only control the whole game with real materials." A former Suns' excellent player told Gregory.

Gregory said Ultra stood out at every stage.

Head coach Jordan Otter said: "I won this opportunity, which made me very excited."

- Suns official

When many challenges have not yet emerged, it all sounded beautiful on the first day. Ultra seems to understand this, too. He needs to build trust with the roster, and the roster will not be finalized in a few weeks. He needs to change a mentality that relies on the strength of the star rather than the tenacity of the spirit. Ultra emphasized the importance of taking early on offense, as well as the importance of smooth offensive running and finding ways to get extra ball rights. He summed up his defensive philosophy in three words: "Go all."

In addition, there is a consistent pace. Last week, Ishbiya wrote to his basketball operations team, praising Gregory for his performance in just a few weeks in office and expressed excitement about what Ultra will bring. Ishbiya also promised change, saying he has followed "the typical way of NBA bosses doing" for two years - hiring experts, signing checks, and letting go. But this didn't work. Looking to the future, Ishbiya plans to be more involved.

"I will be very active in the decision-making and management of the team, both on and off the court," Ishbiya said in a letter to his staff (acquired by The Athletic). "While I will not watch videos, design offensive tactics, or lead the draft, I will be deeply involved to make sure that the basketball operations department can operate at the highest level, like all other areas of our team." There is a common bond between Ishbiya, Gregory and Ott: all three have a background at Michigan State. Ishbiya played for the Michigan State Spartans as a scholarship-free guard, Gregory coached twice on Izo’s coaching staff, and Ott was a graduate assistant and video coordinator. Although many joked about the Suns’ “Michigan State University League,” Ott said Wednesday that he didn’t meet Gregory until the Suns’ away game against the Cavaliers this January, and Ishbiya wasn’t seen until the final stage of the interview process.

"Let me say this: I won the right to come here," said Ott. "It took me 20 years to work hard as much as I can to come to this position. I always have great people around me - great coaches, great players - who have allowed me to grow and put me in the challenge to help me grow through the test. From now on, I will work hard as much as I can to prove that I am well deserved to be here."

This is a new beginning for the Suns. Fighting for the Western Conference championship may take time, but quick reversals are not uncommon. Otter pointed out how huge the Indiana Pacers have made in a short period of time and how the Cleveland Cavaliers have improved their regular season wins from 48 to 64 in a year.

"We can make that leap, too, but we will do it in a systematic way," said Ott, "...to build this right."