The Phoenix Suns had a season to forget last year as they failed to even reach the playoffs. This season, however, the Suns are determined not to repeat that disappointment.
Under rookie head coach Jordan Ott, Phoenix is playing with more purpose. The results are actually starting to show, also. With a current 16-13 record, the Suns are staying competitive in the Western Conference. Also, one player who has stood out the most is Dillon Brooks.
Phoenix Suns HC Had Nothing but Praise for Dillon Brooks
After Tuesday night’s (132-108) win against the Los Angeles Lakers, HC Jordan Ott spoke to the media during his postgame interview. When asked about Brooks and his overall impact on the team, the Suns head coach had nothing but praise.
“He’s been tremendous. We love his energy. We love his competitive spirit. It’s lifted our entire group. We feed off of it… We’ve talked about it. He’s got to get to the edge and not go over. It’s with the whole group. It’s with myself,” said Ott during the interview.
If we see, Brooks has been an important addition for the Suns since the 2025 offseason. It was when he joined Phoenix in a seven-team trade that also brought Jalen Green. In that trade, Kevin Durant moved to the Rockets, and many Suns fans worried about fit and chemistry with this new core.
Still, if we see, Brooks has defied those concerns. From a role player who could shoot and defend, he has now grown into one of the Suns’ most influential players.
Through 23 games this season, Brooks has averaged 21.8 points per game on 46.4% shooting from the field and 34.3% from three. He has also contributed 3.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while logging close to 31 minutes per contest.
In the latest win against the Lakers, Brooks led the Phoenix squad in scoring with 25 points. The other players also had a great outing as Devin Booker added 21 points and 11 assists. Collin Gillespie also added 16 points, and all five Suns starters reached double figures and this performance from the team actually showed a balanced attack that made Phoenix tough to defend.
“Definitely a great night for that. Book’s ability to create a closeout… we lived in closeouts. That leads to 35 assists,” Ott said as he praised Booker also.
Now coming to the actual game. After the first quarter, the Suns had a three-point lead. They played well and extended that advantage as the game carried on, and by halftime, Phoenix was leading the game by about 10 points. The Suns had the biggest lead of the game at 32 points in the last quarter and the Lakers could not close the gap and they eventually lost the game.
With confidence growing Phoenix now turns its attention to the New Orleans Pelicans whom they will face next on Dec. 26.
