Offense versus defense. Which matters more? The easy answer is balance. Of course, balance is the holy grail. The teams that can punish you on both ends of the floor aren’t simply competitive, they’re contenders. They win games. They win championships. That’s the no-brainer. Balance is the goal.
But what happens when balance doesn’t exist? When the man steering the ship is a rookie, new not only to your city and organization but to the NBA itself. Jordan Ott has no identity yet. No body of work. No film to dissect. No culture we can point to and say, “That’s his fingerprint”. We don’t know what kind of players best fit his schemes, because we don’t even know the schemes.
And this is where the contrast sharpens. Coaches are often defined not by their balance, but by their lean. Frank Vogel? Defensive coach. Mike Budenholzer? Offensive coach. We shorthand legacies through the side of the ball they elevate.
So as Ott inherits a roster with eleven new faces and the impossible task of building an identity from scratch, the real question isn’t about the abstract pursuit of balance. It’s about priority. Which side of the floor matters more for the Phoenix Suns in year one of his regime? Defensive execution or offensive execution?
The community has spoken. An overwhelming 82% believe defense carries more weight for the Suns next season.
Personally, I voted defense too.
Next year isn’t about highlight reels or box office names. It’s a foundational reset year for the Phoenix Suns. A pivot away from high-priced, flashy superstars and toward something more lasting: culture. It’s the word Mat Ishbia drops every time a microphone finds him. When people watch the Suns, he wants them to know what brand of basketball they’re going to get. No guessing. No confusion.
Think of the St. Louis Cardinals in baseball. Every prospect climbing through their farm system is coached the same way, so by the time they reach the majors, fans already know what to expect. That’s what Ishbia wants in Phoenix. Consistency. Identity.
And that’s why defense matters most. Defense is foundational. Defense reflects attitude. Defense reflects effort. All the things this team lacked a season ago. Maybe that’s why 82% of fans leaned defense in the poll. Because while we’ve seen what good offense looks like, it’s the stench of bad defense that still lingers in our memory.
Build from that foundation, and the rest follows.
Schemes that suffocate opponents open up transition offense. Stops create confidence. There’s nothing worse than watching your team crumble in high-pressure moments, knowing you’ve got a lineup of matadors waving the opposition straight to the rim. Flip that script. Build a defense that can lock down when it matters, and suddenly the air changes. It creates calm. It builds trust.
So yes, maybe a year from now the pendulum swings back and the conversation shifts to offense. I still have concerns about how efficiently this roster can score. But it all starts here. With defense. Because while the old adage says defense wins championships, for the Suns next season, defense might simply mean winning again.
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