Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott explains new & evolving relationship with Devin Booker

Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott explains new & evolving relationship with Devin Booker

joining us right now and we’re very grateful to have him on the phone for a few minutes The new head coach of the Phoenix Suns Jordan who joins us here on the Burns and Gambo show Jordan welcome to the Valley Congratulations I’m Dave This is Gambo We appreciate your time man Welcome to town Thank you Thank you Super excited to be here Thank you Yeah coach Listen I I I loved your answer when you were asked about the the ties going back to Michigan State you you earned this opportunity 20 years coaching between college and the NBA You’ve been interviewed for head coaching jobs before I like how firm you were with that answer about hey listen I earned this opportunity to be a head coach in this league Tell me a little bit about that the 20-year journey to get to this spot Yeah I think it’s been a lot of reflection you know over the last week especially after the initial call and knowing that you were named the head coach of a of an NBA franchise and just the journey itself There’s just so many people that you’ve been in touch with that you’ve been around that have impacted your life you know obviously the family piece to it the people that have sacrificed the most Then the players you know I don’t think any coach can be successful without incredible players and just all different types of players that have played well that have then in return helped me advance and learn and and be here today You’ve been through the process of interviewing for a head coaching job before Um this you this was a thorough process I think Brian Gregory did a terrific job starting with about 15 to 20 different candidates and then it came down to two you and Johnny Bryant How odd was it being a finalist with a guy that you were on a coaching staff with in Cleveland yeah I actually have so much respect for Johnny um you know I did not know him before this year So just met him and just the way he goes about his business on a day-to-day um as a coach and as a person very very uh humble no ego You know when you’re working on staffs and you’re putting staffs together you just you just never know And he has an incredible relationship with Donovan but he has an incredible relationship with everyone So when we get down to it and there’s two guys announced throughout the entire process him and I were were texting and communicating about it all and kind of just helping each other get get through it Um but thankfully you know thankfully it was him and I and I have such respect for who he is as a man and as a coach So his day will be coming soon Jordan Nod is our guest here on the Burns and Gambo show the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns Ever since we carried your press conference I’ve I’ve been dying to ask you the question about the interactions that you had with Devin Booker during this process You you you spoke a little bit about when you first scouted him years ago but specific to this job and you getting this job what were those conversations like and what were your interactions like with Devin and and how do you think that helped you to to put your best foot forward and get this gig yeah it all comes back to basketball right the starting piece was definitely basketball Um we had you know some shared acquaintances along the way but did not know him prior prior to this And it started with basketball and then it it goes to you know the end where we know he’s an incredible player Uh that’s what makes this job unique having him with us And it’s my job to help him and showing him some of those ways that I plan to help him and help us move forward put him in a position to succeed on a night-to-ight basis That’s my job as the head coach You want buyin from every guy on the roster obviously but how important is it to maintain that buyin from him given who he is as a leader on this team and and kind of what he represents to the organization how much of a priority is that for you when you embark on this journey with him extremely extremely high priority to uh connect spend time to meet him where he is to listen listen to how he sees the game um who he is as a man Um and that’s going to come through this summer and we’re going to build this thing out together um every step of the way But that’s the exciting piece He has seen success So he has a vision for what it looks like I have seen you know other ways to do it And collaborating at each step of the way and building it out is is very very very unique and very exciting Coach I I spoke with some uh some players that actually played under the U over the years I said “Give me give me something Tell me tell me about his offense.” They said “You’re going to absolutely love it creativity fast pace driving cutting spacing tempo multiple options multiple ball handlers Uh the people that I spoke with that know you well were just raved about your offensive mind Tell me a little bit about what type of offense you want to run here in Phoenix It’s going to lean into the concepts of basketball and how everyone’s playing now or high how the high level team So we’re going to play a conceptual style offense that will involve body movement through our cutting principles Um we’ll clearly have a way of playing our principles of play U of course you need your set actions and your counters to those set actions especially as the game slows down But we’re going to play a certain style offensively that plays fast you know gets to action quickly Um and then we’re going to move we’re going to move and then as we get the ball downhill into the paint we’re going to make the right play Sometimes that may be a shot or finish It may be a kick out and turn it into closeout So all of it together will create a joy and a spirit that we all you know grew up playing basketball a certain way and and that just carries over and permeates through the entire entire uh game and leads into your defense So we all know how players think You know it’s a lot of them are offensive minded just like we were when we were kids You know can you put the ball in the basket so getting that piece right will in return help our defense Yeah Let’s talk about identity I know Matt and Josh and Brian have talked about just trying to make a team that the fans are proud of I look to be honest with you these last couple of teams the fans hated the the Phoenix Suns team They were soft Uh when things got tough they wilted a 10-point lead would turn into 20 25 30 and they’d be out of it You wouldn’t see guys diving for loose balls taking charges And so when I when I ask you the identity you want hardworking team that the valley could be proud of what do you expect definitely want a team that plays hard but we also want to do it together So you want to play hard you want to play together you want a team that plays the right way Then again it’s that joy It’s that spirit of collectively going out there especially on the road when there’s only your travel party and you know a handful of fans on the road with you We need each other So we need to be a collective unit that is connected and then just having the ability to do it longer than the opponent And in return the fans will see what we’re talking about They’re going to want to see that team We want to perform like that for our fans We know what they want Now it’s our job to build this thing out day by day to get there Jordan not as our guest here on the Burns and Gambo show the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns I wanted to ask you in all of your travels and everywhere you’ve been One guy that you spent some time with is near and dear to our hearts here in Phoenix and that’s Steve Nash when he was the head coach in Brooklyn Gambo had reported throughout this process that Steve put in some good words to you to the Phoenix Suns about your work there Tell me tell our audience about your your time spent with Steve your interactions with him and the role he might have played in helping you get this gig Met met Steve when he um became the head coach in Brooklyn And everyone knows Steve Nash the player but the human is even better There’s not a more humble person that I’ve ever been around Um talks to everyone in the room makes everyone feel that they have value Um he spends time with everyone and that’s something that I will forever have um with me The way he was just able to um make everyone feel a certain way and he talked a lot about spirit and the spirit of the game and how it should be played and what it should feel like and how everyone that’s watching it should see it and and again be able to communicate wow that team plays a certain way He is such a uh a mentor a great mentor to have Um just happens that I get this job in Phoenix Um so yeah excited to connect with him again Yeah everybody There was so many people in the organization back then that wanted the Suns to draft Walter Mccardi but A was here and Danny was like “No we got to draft Steve Nash.” So they ended up drafting Steve Nash I want to ask you about your coaches one through six How much say will you have in it uh I understand you may have to you may have to hire a head co somebody who’s had head coaching experience maybe a Steven Silus or somebody like that I know you know Jared Dudley very well Deari Carol I believe is coming on board Where are you as far as hiring your coaches how much say will you have in hiring your coaches i think that it’s it’s a continual process Um we want to get it done as fast as possible but most importantly we want to get it right So they’ve given me every opportunity every resource possible to build this out build it out the right way And I know since I haven’t been a head coach that and BG has been a head coach He’s built staffs before Josh has been around this thing his entire life And Matt’s built an entire company from the ground up So we’re all going to be on the same page of of who we bring in here that will ultimately have a huge impact on our group So we’ll build this out you know hopefully within the next couple of weeks so we we can get some things rolling get some things finalized um for our group to be here in Phoenix Jordan congratulations again on the job and welcome to the Valley We appreciate the conversation and we look forward to having many more with you in the future Thank you Yep Can’t wait Thanks guys Thanks for watching Burns and Gambo Click to see more from the guys and hit the button in the middle to subscribe so you never miss a video from Arizona Sports

New Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott joined Burns & Gambo in an exclusive interview.

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