The Phoenix Suns have hired Jordan Ott as their new head coach after interviewing more than 15 candidates for the role.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the hire as the Suns look to rebound from their shocking playoff miss. Ott was hired for the position over fellow former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Johnnie Bryant.
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According to The Athletic, the Suns also interviewed active assistant coaches Chris Quinn from Miami, Dave Bliss from Oklahoma City and Sean Sweeney from Dallas. And per Charania, Suns star Devin Booker was involved in the coaching search and gave his approval on Ott.
Ott began his coaching career with the Atlanta Hawks where he served as a video coordinator from 2013-2016. Ott had his first assistant role with the Brooklyn Nets and worked under coaches Kenny Atkinson, Steve Nash and Jacque Vaughn.
In 2022, Ott left Brooklyn to join Darvin Ham’s coaching staff with the Los Angeles Lakers. He reunited with Atkinson in Cleveland this season as the Cavaliers secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a 64-18 record.
Last season, Phoenix had a disastrous campaign despite having the most expensive roster in the NBA, starring Kevin Durant, Booker and Bradley Beal. The frustrating season ended with a 34-46 record and their first playoff miss since 2020.
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Apart from the coaching changes, Phoenix will begin its first season under new GM Brian Gregory, who was promoted two weeks after Mike Budenholzer’s dismissal in April. In his introductory press conference, Gregory promised to change the team’s identity and find a good-fitting coach.
While the Suns are likely to make drastic changes to their roster — Durant is almost certainly going to be on the move — they have had notably bad luck with coaches as Ott has now become their fourth in four seasons.
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