Players and former head coaches across the league have praised the Phoenix Suns for hiring Jordan Ott as the franchise’s next head coach. One of those was his former head coach, Darvin Ham.
The previous Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach was a major proponent in helping develop young players. While Draymond Green praised Ott for joining the Suns, he has more quality endorsements coming his way.
Ham told AZCentral’s Duane Rankin how pleased he is with Ott earning his first head coaching gig.
“He can move in any room,” Ham said about Ott. “It can be the rich of the rich or the poor of the poor. Guys who are struggling, trying to get into the league, guys who are max players. Guys who are superstars, guys who are super-duper stars.
“He’s able to communicate with a variety of different people. His message is simple, but straight to the point, detailed, and efficient. I’m proud of him.”
Ott’s career has had numerous stops. First, he was a video coordinator for the Atlanta Hawks, which had previous Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer running the team.
After that, he joined the Brooklyn Nets with Kenny Atkinson from 2016-22, and then joined Ham with the Los Angeles Lakers. Even though it was for only two seasons, Ott left a lasting impression on Ham.
Darvin Ham sees the Suns’ bright future with Jordan Ott
At this point, the Phoenix head coaches haven’t been consistent and haven’t produced a winning result. The team was bounced in the first round in 2024 under Frank Vogel. One year later, the Suns went 36-46 and missed the playoffs entirely.
The front office understood the trend of hiring top assistant coaches. His expertise, relatability, as well as basketball acumen are well-documented.
Not to mention, the communication style will be a major factor. After all, Budenholzer and Devin Booker had communication issues, while the former head coach told Booker to tone it down vocally.
That point is one that Ham remains confident in Ott to hammer home.
“That’s what he’s about,” Ham said. “Again, getting straight to the point, but also knowing there are things you have to do in the short term to achieve your long-term goals.
“The mission has to be to get better every day, and he’s aware of that from Bud’s program in Atlanta, when he went off with Kenny in Brooklyn, and coming back with me. He understands. He’s built from that cloth of everyday life, and he tries to get better at something. That daily process leads to progress.”
Ott will speak to the media on Tuesday– where he’ll hope to create a new era of Phoenix Suns basketball– based on communication, a balanced approach, and connectivity.
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