PHOENIX– What is this said ‘dog mentality' the Phoenix Suns have? Players and coaches have adopted the philosophy ever since the Suns hired head coach Jordan Ott back in the summer.
Some have taken that mantra to heart, most notably Dillon Brooks and Collin Gillespie. The latter has caught plenty by surprise, but not the Phoenix organization.
They've seen the evolution of his game from a backup point guard to starting next to Devin Booker. The superb 3-point shooting, playmaking, mixed with the grit and grind mindset, have him on watch.
Guys like Booker and Anthony Edwards raved about Gillespie's game. And the proof is in the pudding, as he's averaging 21 points, five assists, and 3.6 rebounds in five games as a starter.
Fans have raved about the competitive spirit, energy, and pure hustle every game. Whether it's a 20+ blowout loss or a 20+ victory, that ‘dog mentality' comes down to the barebones element of basketball.
“That's what you see. Competing, playing hard, never quitting if you get up or down, playing the full 48 minutes, and just trying to be relentless every possession,” Gillespie said to ClutchPoints before the Suns' game against the Denver Nuggets on November 29.
Where was the Suns' dog mentality in 2024-25?
Now it might seem simple, but in reality, some teams have struggled to implement those on a nightly basis. One of those teams happened to be Phoenix's 2024-25 iteration of itself.
Even with Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant, there seemed to be a common theme: the lack of intensity. While much of it had to do with the unrealistic championship standard, a retool was necessary.
Bringing in guys like Brooks and keeping the promising young players like Gillespie gives Phoenix an edge they didn't have before– guys that have proved something, or have something to prove, but that are winners.
That alone sets a major precedent. Gillespie won a national championship with Villanova in his freshman season, and Brooks went to the 2017 Men's Final Four with Oregon.
They have reached the mountain top in college, but haven't seemed to do so in the NBA. He had glimpses with the Memphis Grizzlies, along with the Houston Rockets, but Brooks truly broke out with the Suns.
Gillespie had a stint with the Denver Nuggets before finding his home in the Valley of the Sun. Even in the chaotic 2024-25 season, he proved to be a bright spot with a legitimate future in the NBA.
Those two guys–who each have something to prove– have brought a standard of barebones basketball. Hustle, grit, determination, playing with an edge, and an innate desire to win.
Implementing that standard comes at a cost, but it took place way before the season started.
Collin Gillespie + Dillon Brooks + Jordan Ott = Suns dog mentality
A winning combination of Brooks and Ott, along with key pieces like Gillespie, has given the Suns a totally different identity. But inside the walls of the Verizon 5G Performance Center during the blistering Phoenix summer, it didn't happen overnight.
The late nights, early mornings, pickup games, trash talk, and making guys tick felt imminent from the moment Ott took over as head coach in June.
And when Booker talked about the team having those exhibitions during media day, the national audience seemed surprised. Not because they had them, but because they spent months gelling together and establishing the mentality.
A good portion of it comes from Brooks. Because of that, it takes a lot to earn his respect. He has a history of demanding everyone's best, every single day.
For the first-time head coach, the respect from his players came almost instantaneously, especially from Brooks. The countless hours watching film during the summer– being at Verizon 5G from dawn till dusk– solidified the commitment to building a winner.
It immediately gained his attention. A first-year coach setting the standard established the precedent for how invested everyone needs to be.
“We sit here and work every single night when you guys are not watching. In the gym, working, figuring it out. When J.O. is sitting in there for hours and hours at a time, just staring at the screen — these are things that we live for and play hard for each other. That's why it's special,” Brooks said after the Suns' game on November 18 against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Suns will bring it every night
One thing is for certain, and that is how every night, every team that plays Phoenix knows what they will get. A scrappy, defensive-oriented team that plays for one another, has synergy, and can take the top teams down to the wire.
Would the mentality be the same if the Suns didn't have Brooks? Probably not. Through all the trash talk, constant jawing, and getting on players for specific minute details, Gillespie knows there's a method to the madness.
“The way he competes, how he works,” Gillespie said. “You've seen it all summer, especially in pickup games, workouts, team workouts, stuff like that, just he's always competing, talking s**t, trying to get that out of guys, getting the best out of people.
“If he's on you, you know it's out of love because he's just trying to get the most out of you. You've seen it everywhere he's been. He brings it out of every team that he's on. He's a culture guy.”
A basketball team isn't defined by three guys, but Gillespie, Brooks, and Ott have been the pieces that continually push the agenda of who the Suns are to those who don't know.
