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Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia speaks about the direction of his organization at the team\u2019s media day Wednesday at PHX Arena. (Photo by Hana Kaufman\/Cronkite News)<\/p>\n
PHOENIX \u2013 The Phoenix Suns entered 2024 built like a superteam and left resembling a cautionary tale. What was supposed to be a coronation turned into a collapse. With the acquisition of Bradley Beal to pair with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker under championship coach Mike Budenholzer, the season felt like title-or-bust.<\/p>\n
Instead, the \u201cBig Three\u201d never materialized.<\/p>\n
Beal\u2019s play was sloppy, scoring was below par, Budenholzer lost the team in the locker room, Durant was frustrated with the offense, and Phoenix\u2019s paper-thin depth chart couldn\u2019t cover up the cracks. The result? Thirty-six wins \u2013 fewest since the 2020 bubble \u2013 and a seat on the outside looking in during the playoffs.<\/p>\n
In the wake of Budenholzer\u2019s firing, the Suns\u2019 plain-spoken autopsy was worth a thousand words: \u201cChange is needed.\u201d And change came swiftly. New coach Jordan Ott, new general manager Brian Gregory and a megadeal sending Durant to Houston for Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks heralded the beginning of a Valley-dramatic overhaul.<\/p>\n
Flash-forward a few months, and Suns owner Mat Ishbia has bet the farm on that slogan. On Wednesday during the Suns\u2019 media day at PHX Arena, he made it clear he was no longer focused merely on personnel moves. Instead, he talked of something more: restoring pride, identity and sense of ownership to fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter last season was really disappointing, so I promised you there were going to be a lot of changes,\u201d Ishbia said. \u201cBut above all, we built the right identity, the vision and the culture.<\/p>\n
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Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker said the Suns have \u201cunfinished business here\u201d and he knows how much a title \u201cwould mean to this city and this organization.\u201d (Photo by Hana Kauffman\/Cronkite News)<\/p>\n
\u201cIt starts with me. I\u2019m getting blamed when I acquired the team that I didn\u2019t come in and build the right culture on the men\u2019s basketball side. Now we do. We set the tone. We do have an identity now here in Phoenix, and it\u2019s being lived out.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Ishbia, cultural reset is most important. He frames his role as owner in four pillars: culture, community, fan engagement and winning. Winning remains the goal, but he believes that culture builds long-term success. Free TV for the fans, cheaper concessions and creative fan experiences are all part of an initiative to make the Suns a team the community will get behind, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we can\u2019t have fans, what\u2019s the point of even doing this?\u201d Ishbia said. <\/p>\n
That focus on identity translates to roster construction. Gregory takes a middle ground between experience, character and youth, mixing in veterans such as Dillon Brooks with stars-in-the-making like Mark Williams and Jalen Green. Ishbia\u2019s vision is a team that embodies the values he desires: toughness, accountability and development.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an ascending roster,\u201d Ishbia said. \u201cYoung players that aren\u2019t at their full potential yet, but we\u2019ve got a great coach who puts them in the right positions, gets the best out of them and pushes them to be the best version of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
The three being on the same page are deliberate. Ishbia sets the tone, Gregory builds the roster to complement it and Ott makes it happen on the court. In his first full season, Ott\u2019s main focus is on work ethic, accountability and development. Practices are designed not only to teach schemes but also to instill habits that complement the Suns\u2019 identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all about player development \u2013 getting better every day,\u201d Ishbia said. \u201cOur coaches, front office, players \u2013 we\u2019re all grinding harder to be better. It\u2019s a process. It\u2019s going to take time, but the type of people we have in this organization are invested in the vision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ott, the fifth youngest coach in the NBA, has brought this philosophy directly to his coaching style. The little things will shape how he develops this unproven roster, from high-fiving fans to holding players accountable and demanding toughness in every practice. It\u2019s all part of the culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day it\u2019s about engagement \u2013 competing, supporting your teammates, and connecting with the fans,\u201d Ott said. \u201cThat\u2019s the standard we\u2019re setting.\u201d <\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s roster strategy reflects the same ideology. Both are aligned on the type of players they believe belong in Phoenix to help steer the ship, and by targeting high-character talent, he believes he has positioned the team to compete now while still building for the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cCulture only works if it\u2019s consistent from top to bottom,\u201d Gregory said. \u201cFrom ownership to the locker room, everyone has to live it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Phoenix Suns center Nick Richards is all smiles as he answers questions about the Suns\u2019 upcoming season Wednesday at PHX Arena. (Photo by Hana Kaufman\/Cronkite News)<\/p>\n
The Suns\u2019 identity shift is more than the issue of not having another subpar season. It\u2019s a self-aware effort to build enduring success. Effort, accountability and character replaced the pursuit of Band-Aids. <\/p>\n
Previous coaching additions such as Budenholzer and Frank Vogel, both of whom were dismissed after one season, were marquee names purchased to balance the roster\u2019s superlative talent and serve as stopgaps. Now, cultural harmony, common goal and alignment between ownership, front office and coaching are the benchmarks of improvement.<\/p>\n
As the 2026 season approaches, the question isn\u2019t really who\u2019s on the roster. The Suns learned the hard way last year that names alone don\u2019t amount to much. What matters most is who they are as a team, and early signs point to optimism. Player buy-in is there, and practices show a shared will to improve. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not going to flip overnight,\u201d Ott said. \u201cBut if we bring energy and accountability every day, the wins will come. That\u2019s what excites me about this group.\u201d<\/p>\n
The coming together of Ott\u2019s day-to-day coaching, Gregory\u2019s rostering philosophy and Ishbia\u2019s vision in general is something not seen in Phoenix in recent years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we live it every day, the results will follow,\u201d Ishbia said. \u201cThat\u2019s what this team is about \u2013 doing the right things on and off the court, every single day, and letting the wins take care of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fans may not see an 82-win season, but the foundation is laid. Championship expectations are modest, and maybe they should be given the team is rebuilding and retooling from a position of organizational strength. The front office, coaching staff and players are constructing an organization defined by purpose, alignment and pride.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re building this the right way, from the culture to the roster to the coaching staff,\u201d Ishbia said. \u201cDo the right things every day, hold each other accountable, and let the wins take care of themselves. That\u2019s Phoenix Suns basketball, and that\u2019s what our fans should be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia speaks about the direction of his organization at the team\u2019s media day Wednesday…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":253472,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5131],"tags":[5229,5643,1587,34533,7196,7190,3136,7192,40793,3359,15946,133834,1260,1589,1721,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-253471","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arizona","10":"tag-az","11":"tag-brian-gregory","12":"tag-devin-booker","13":"tag-dillon-brooks","14":"tag-houston-rockets","15":"tag-jalen-green","16":"tag-jordan-ott","17":"tag-kevin-durant","18":"tag-mark-williams","19":"tag-matt-ishbia","20":"tag-nba","21":"tag-phoenix","22":"tag-phoenix-suns","23":"tag-united-states","24":"tag-united-states-of-america","25":"tag-unitedstates","26":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","27":"tag-us","28":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115264699548747127","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}