Have the Suns regained respect? Jordan Ott seems to think so

SCOTTSDALE– The Phoenix Suns have their own identity so far in the 2025-26 season, thanks in part to head coach Jordan Ott. After the skeptics said yes The sun would be at the bottom of the barrel in the Western Conference, they silenced the critics.

However, the team’s expectations were, and are, far greater than anyone could have imagined. Rebuilding and retooling a team in one season is not for the faint of heart, but Phoenix seems to be doing it.

Although they sit in seventh place with a record of 14-12, few imagined it would be like this.

From the moment it is The Suns hired Ott to be the franchise’s next coachhe was everything they were looking for: a smart, intellectual mind of X’s and O’s with a sense of understanding and empathy for his players.

During practice on Tuesday, he was asked if he could feel the Sun return their respect.

“Every day you fight for respect every day,” Ott said. “This league changes too fast. Too many things can happen. LeBron (James) is still struggling, so it’s like every day you go out there. We’re all trying to be the best we can be, really challenge ourselves to grow. The only way to do that is to play, to be in the arena.

“It’s like it’s easy from the outside. It’s easy to say the only way to get better is to be in the heat, and our group enjoys that, and we want to be in those environments. We talked about it in Oklahoma City. Obviously, we’d love to play in Vegas, but we’ve had some of those moments where it’s going to be there, because we want to grow.

Jordan Ott thinks the Suns have earned respect, despite their lack of it this season.

“It’s easy from the outside … (but) the only way to get better is to be in the heat. Our group enjoys it and we want to be in those environments.” pic.twitter.com/ajhdVojjdi

— Hayden Cilley (@HaidenCilley) December 17, 2025

The Suns are gaining respect from Jordan Ott

Contrary to Ott’s opinion, his team deserves respect. Numerous coaches, including Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigne praised Phoenix and who they are.

He talked about the defense, about the offense and playing with urgency, along with the offensive pieces they have. Only in season do things look pretty good in the Valley of the Sun.

Mind you, this is without Jalen Green, who has only played in two games this season. In the one game he played, the Suns blew out the Los Angeles Clippers and showed great promise.

Regardless, respect comes from being competitive and not giving up. The 2024-25 iteration of the Suns didn’t have the same fight and strength as the current version.

Some of that comes from constructing the roster, but a large amount comes from who’s in charge, and Ott does a good job.

Guys like Dillon Brooks help the Suns push the plan to be a team you don’t want to play. They rallied around him, but Brooks rallied behind Otto and his commitment and vision.

The 21.6 points per game scorer became a record with his vocal support from the first-year coach. Devin Booker did more of the same, especially when Ott won his first game as head coach of the Suns.

Still, in his eyes, there will always be more work to do. It’s the right mentality for Phoenix, given the weak hand of previous seasons.

The establishment of this brand of Suns basketball has already happened, and it’s happening faster than expected due to Ott’s stamp on aspects of the organization.