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Following recent games, Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott offered his perspective on what optimal production from Jalen Green should look like within the current roster. Ott pointed to flashes the team has already witnessed, saying, "Some of those spurts that we've had, we've seen it. We've seen it recently." He specifically praised Green's defensive efforts in the last outing, adding, "Even last game, I thought his defense at times was really good."
Ott highlighted Green's standout energy against Houston and mentioned similar positive moments in the Golden State game. However, he stressed that unlocking Green's best form is a shared responsibility. "It's putting it all together," Ott said. "And then it's on all of us to figure out." The coach also noted the addition of another high-usage wing in Miles Bridges, which complicates the rotation when everyone is healthy.
Balancing Usage and Sacrifice
With four players accustomed to high usage, Ott acknowledged that sacrifices will be necessary. "Everyone's gonna have to sacrifice a little bit, because when we're all healthy, we have enough offensive talent to get to where we want to get to," he explained. "But it does take the group moving in the right direction. So I think we're still trying to figure some of that out for sure." Green did not play in the fourth quarter of Thursday's win over the Charlotte Hornets, underscoring the adjustments being made.
When asked about the idea of one player reducing ball usage, Ott pushed back on the notion that it falls on a single individual. "You can look around, field goal attempts. There's only one or two guys that have your high usage. I don't think it's just one person. I think we all have to have an understanding," he said. He admitted the difficulty of such a transition: "It's tough. You go from 16 or 17 shots a game to 10 and a half? That's tough."
Emphasis on Defense and Transition
Ott outlined the team's strategy to compensate for reduced individual touches, stressing the importance of defense in today's league and the value of paint touches. He also wants to get Green more opportunities in transition. "That first unit has got to offensive rebound. That gives us another shot attempt," Ott noted. While the first unit has performed well defensively, the offense has struggled to find rhythm. "It just offensively, we cannot find the rhythm," he said. "So we've talked about the last two days. We continue to win, even though it hasn't felt perfect."
Looking ahead, Ott sees upcoming challenges as opportunities to grow. "Now we have two great tests, and then this road trip of figuring that thing out. I think sometimes on the road, it makes it a little bit easier 'cause it's just us, but we know where we're at," he said. "We know we have room to grow, and that's the exciting part. We have the right character guys to figure it out and be honest about it. So, we're still searching, but we'll find it." The Suns face the Lakers tomorrow afternoon.
Originally reported by yahoo.