Jordan Ott shared a revealing memory of Devin Booker from 2015 during his first press conference as the new head coach of the "Phoenix Suns." The connection between the franchise player and new coach already seems to be taking shape.
"I'll tell you a little story about Devin, 1-on-0 workout in a draft workout," – Ott recalled from his days as a video coordinator with the Atlanta Hawks. "I can remember how he communicated and competed with himself in a 1-on-0 workout, and we left that workout knowing that he was different."
Ott's appointment comes during a period of significant upheaval for the "Suns," who have cycled through three coaches in the past three years. Interestingly, Booker was directly involved in the coaching search this time around and gave his stamp of approval for Ott's hiring.
The new coach made it clear that maximizing Booker's prime years is a top priority. "We need to help him, and that's my job as a coach, to help him in multiple areas," Ott emphasized. "Make or miss. End of game. Game on the line. Make or miss, we're buying him."
With Mat Ishbia as owner and Brian Gregory as general manager, the "Suns" are entering a new era. But amidst all the changes, Booker remains the constant - the franchise's all-time leading scorer who has expressed his desire to stay in Phoenix for his entire career.
"Extremely, extremely high priority to connect, spend time, to meet him where he is, to listen to how he sees the game," Ott said about building his relationship with Booker.
The big question now? How will the rest of the roster shape up around Booker, especially with rumors of a Kevin Durant trade looming large. For Ott, though, having a franchise cornerstone like Booker makes the challenge of his first head coaching job considerably less daunting.
