As John Voita always puts it, it felt like the first day of school again at Suns Media Day. Mostly familiar faces, with some new ones sprinkled in, and the same objective for everyone: figuring out who this team is.
There’s only so much you can learn from a group with plenty of *checks notes* continuity (that was the buzzword today), but it’s always fun to get the state of the front office, coaching staff, and players.
From aligned to continuity, here’s what stood out.
1) Ishbia, Gregory, and Ott bring consistent messaging in different ways
I mean this in the best way possible.
Mat Ishbia, Brian Gregory, and Jordan Ott couldn’t be any more different from each other personality-wise. They each have their own communication style and approach to dealing with the media, but the important thing is that they’re aligned on their vision.
Ishbia brings a very direct, intense, and passionate approach that shines through in every word he says. He speaks with conviction and isn’t afraid to confront the tough questions head-on.
“Am I still going to pay the luxury tax? Yes,” said Ishbia, who stated that he has purchased an additional 14% of the team and now owns ~80% of the franchise.
“Are we still going to do crazy things for the fans? Yes, yes, yes. I always say this, I don’t own the team, it’s the city’s team.”
Brian Gregory is more analytical and calculated and provides answers with great detail.
One Gregory moment that stood out was him saying how Khaman Maluach’s body has changed in the past year. He said that he is stronger and runs/moves differently than he did as a rookie. Gregory credited Maluach for taking every step by putting in the work every day, sometimes even twice a day. And yes, he mentioned the word continuity as well.
Jordan Ott looked much more comfortable and personable with the media than he did last season, which is the usual development after knocking out your first year as a head coach and building relationships with the media.
He reiterated his love for Phoenix and said how lucky we are to live here.
When asked about the center battle, Ott said: “Camp is three weeks. We’re gonna mix around with some lineups.” As expected, they will keep things pretty close to the chest right now and not reveal too much about their scheme, overall plans or any lineup talk as they prepare for camp.
2) Khaman Maluach = Media Day Winner
There was no bigger “winner” than Khaman Maluach at media day. Members of the front office, coaching staff, and even veteran players brought him up, unprompted, several times.
Luke Kennard said he’s the “one of the hardest workers” he’s been around in his career. Coming from a 10-year vet, that means something. Pat Spencer praised his energy. Devin Booker said he’s been pleased with his development and willingness to work.
Khaman quotes and praise will be sprinkled throughout this article. It’s quite impossible to leave them out with how often we heard his name. He is clearly hungry to keep improving, and is doing all of the right things to get where he (and we) want him to be as a player. The next step is translating that to consistent production in games that count.
3) Devin Booker said all the right things
I typically don’t feed into the generic offseason buzzwords or “great shape” everyone seems to be in when entering camp. Have you ever heard someone come in and say, “Yeah, I’m in pretty bad shape right now.” Of course not. But Devin Booker isn’t the type to talk himself up like this, specifically about the shape and overall state of mind he’s in.
He also mentioned that he “loves the game more than he ever has” right now.
Another fun Booker quote: “Sometimes I fall into passing too much and this year, hopefully, I fall into shooting too much.” Yeah, inject that into my veins. If we get a more aggressive and assertive Booker, that will only make the Suns better. He’s always at his best in attack mode. That doesn’t mean to force up dumb shots, but to look for his more rather than being too unselfish at times when they need him to take over.
Building off that last point regarding Maluach, Devin Booker and Khaman got some work in together this summer.
“He’s asking a lot of questions, but you can tell he’s asking them when he already knows the answer and knows what to do. It’s been a pleasure to watch him grow.”
4) Luke Kennard was told to be aggressive
Kennard said on a call with Coach Ott that it was “great” that I led the NBA in 3PT%, but that may not be the case this year, because “we want to see you take tougher shots”.
He said he is excited for the opportunity in Phoenix and feels like there is a ton of confidence in him and his game, which makes his job easier.
While that is music to many Suns fans’ ears, it may be wise to pump the brakes there. LeBron and JJ Redick were each in Kennard’s ear last season, constantly telling him to shoot more to no avail.
Maybe it will be different for us, and we can get him back in the 6+ attempt range that he hit a few times earlier in his career in Memphis, Los Angeles (Clippers), and Detroit. It’s time for Luke Kennard to let it fly!
5) Pat Spencer fits right in
As we all predicted, Pat Spencer is going to fit right in with this team from a culture and mindset perspective. He is a competitor through and through and will bring a feisty style of play every time he steps on the court.
I wrote about his seamless fit, linked below.
This quote was one of my absolute favorites from the entire day. He and Dillon Brooks are going to absolutely agitate opponents, and I’m here for it.
Spencer also joined in on the Maluach praise, saying he has the “best energy” he’s ever seen in the NBA. For Maluach to get kudos from a couple of new guys, plus returners, speaks to the impact and impression he’s made in a short period of time leading into the new season.
All aboard the Khaman train, full steam ahead.
