PHOENIX– Accountability is a phrase thrown around in the NBA, and one that the Phoenix Suns and head coach Jordan Ott understand completely.
“It starts with me,” Ott said when asked pregame on Thursday what goes into holding players accountable. “That was our challenge to the group postgame (on Tuesday vs Celtics). Look internally; are there solutions out there? What can we fix in the near term? And then also zoom out.
“We’re in a good place. We’re still sitting in a decent place in the Western Conference standings, but we do have higher standards for ourselves.”
Luckily, the Suns had a solid first part of the season, surpassing expectations and then some. Finishing with a 31-23 record, they have a target on their back.
But then came the unfortunate news.
In his first game from the all-star break, the Suns would miss Dillon Brooks due to a broken hand for roughly four-t0-six weeks.
They missed his tone-setting presence, the intensity, but more so his scoring. He was the clear second option– and sometimes the first behind Devin Booker.
Speaking of which, the latter has only played for nine minutes since his return from the break. Much like Brooks, Booker is dealing with an injury, but this one isn't as severe.
It's a right hip strain that could keep him sidelined for one week. Through the team's four games, they had one of the worst offenses, extremely inefficient, and seemed to lose their identity.
Until they regained it.
The Suns once again found their identity through accountability
Accountability isn't simply just calling out people who aren't doing what they're supposed to do. It's about acknowledging one's own faults, too.
It's what Ott alluded to before Thursday's game, and something his players have also spoken about. No one seems to point the finger at anyone else besides themselves.
While that takes place, guys like Grayson Allen know that the team's philosophy will get them out of the slump.
“It was great to get a win and against a good team, against a team that we're chasing down in the standings,” Allen explained to reporters after the Suns win on Thursday. “To have a good offensive night feels really good, especially after the last two games.
“It was all good, and it's nice to have a win going into a 4-day break.”
That collective alignment of trust has been the Suns' bread and butter throughout the season. Every player, coach, and front office executive knows it.
In a time when it's easy to fall back into old habits, that's not the mantra. Losing Brooks and Booker for a while isn't easy, but this team hasn't lost who they are, even while being in a bit of a rut.
