The Cleveland Cavaliers just recently saw a pivotal member of their coaching staff from the 2024-25 season, assistant coach Jordan Ott, get poached by another one of the 30 teams in the NBA. The Phoenix Suns have decided to hire him to be their newest head coach, and he will be installed as Mike Budenholzer’s replacement.
Three of the Cavaliers’ best players, guards Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell as well as big man Evan Mobley, have since reacted to the news of the Cavaliers losing Ott to the Suns on Instagram.
Jordan Ott
Jordan Ott
Jordan Ott
Before Ott joined Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson’s staff, he previously spent time as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets organizations.
Mitchell, Mobley and Garland were all invaluable components to the Cavaliers just recently enjoying one of their most successful regular seasons in franchise history. Cleveland won 64 of its 82 contests, and Mitchell and Garland carried the scoring load for the team in that time.
They were the Cavaliers’ two leading scorers, as Mitchell averaged a team-high 24.0 points per game and Garland wasn’t all that far behind him with 20.6 points per contest.
Fortunately for Ott, he will be joining a Suns team that has plenty of elite talent on its roster. Forward Kevin Durant is one of the greatest scorers the NBA has ever seen, while guards Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are premier offensive players as well.
However, Ott could still very well have his work cut out for him next season in the sense that the Suns are on the heels of a down season. Phoenix won just 36 games and didn’t so much as qualify for the play-in tournament, considering it ended up as the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference.
It should be interesting to see whether Ott can get the Suns back to their winning ways in the 2025-26 season. Regardless, all of his experience in the league’s coaching ranks should come in handy for Ott during his stint as the Suns’ head coach, though however long he will last in Phoenix remains to be seen.