Jordan Ott’s Michigan State ties are making Suns fans nervous, but is the concern fair?
We’re hanging in there, waiting for the Phoenix Suns to finally name their 23rd head coach, a title that carries as much weight as the franchise’s complicated history. The process has dragged on, longer than most would’ve liked, especially with the NBA Draft looming less than a month away and free agency snapping at its heels.
Whoever steps into this hot seat won’t just walk into a team; they’ll inherit a roster already sketched out, locked in place before they’ve even unpacked their office. Hell, when I start a new gig, it takes me a week just to figure out where to park. This poor coach might be stuck wrestling with the one-way streets of downtown Phoenix while the Suns are on the clock. But that’s the reality, the new course this franchise has chosen to steer.
Meanwhile, a wave of unease is washing over the fan base, and it all seems to circle around one name targeted in the search for a new coach: Jordan Ott, assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers and a man whose ties to Michigan State University have some Suns faithful raising an eyebrow.
Which Suns head coaching candidate should the team NOT hire? And why?
— Bright Side of the Sun (@BrightSideSun) May 29, 2025
Jordan Ott is a candidate many fans have already decided the Suns shouldn’t hire. And if we’re being honest, my assumption is that a good portion of that stems from one thing: a desire to avoid becoming the Phoenix Spartans, with our colors one day shifting to green and white. But there’s more to Jordan Ott than his ties to Sparty.
Yes, he has a connection to Mike Budenholzer, having spent four seasons as a video coordinator under him in Atlanta. But beyond that, he’s highly qualified (hehehe). He was an assistant on a team that just won 64 games. He’s been coaching at the NBA level since 2016. This isn’t some untested name pulled from obscurity. And while he earned his bachelor’s at Penn State, he chose to get his master’s at Michigan State, a fact that shouldn’t define his candidacy or diminish his résumé.
It’s fair to be cautious. It’s fair to question. But it’s also fair to give a full, honest look at who he is as a basketball mind, not just where he got his diploma.
I get the concern. The knee-jerk reaction is to push back against the idea of an organization leaning so heavily on prior relationships. But let’s be honest, if you’re going to align yourself with a university network, it could be a lot worse. We’re not talking Mississippi Valley State (shoutout to the Delta Devils) or the prestigious South Hampton Institute of Technology here. Michigan State is a consistently strong program, a fixture in March, and one that’s flirted with blue blood status for years.
But more importantly, look past the green and white typography on Jordan Ott’s résumé, and you’ll find a legitimately qualified basketball mind. A guy with years of NBA experience, a connection to winning cultures, and a track record that deserves to be evaluated on merit, not just his alma mater.
As Duane Ranking of The Arizona Republic noted last week:
Ott was the Spartans’ video coordinator for five years as he earned a master’s degree in athletic administration from the university.
However, Ott has worked for four NBA teams as an assistant since his time at Michigan State and is viewed throughout the league as someone who is ready to be a head coach.
League sources describe Ott as being a grinder who studies the game and has very sound offensive and defensive strategies. He’s strong in player development and film session, is organized and a teacher of the game.
Yes, Jordan Ott has ties to Michigan State. And maybe those ties opened a door for him. God forbid. The truth is, success at the highest levels — in sports, business, or life — is often built on relationships, alignment, and compatibility. If those connections lead to the kind of organizational cohesion that moves this franchise forward, then we’d be wise not to reject the idea simply for the sake of rejecting it.
All of that being said, let’s hire Chris Quinn. Go Irish.
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