Suns Jordan Ott filling out his bench with experienced assistant coaches

Stein on Suns Ott’s assistant coaching search:

“On the coaching front: It is believed that DeMarre Carroll and Brian Randle will fill two of the three front-of-bench spots on Jordan Ott’s first staff in Phoenix … with Ott said to be seeking a former NBA head coach as his top assistant.”

DeMarre Carroll is a former 10+ year NBA veteran, who joined Ott with the Cleveland Cavaliers as an assistant. Ott coached Carroll when he was an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets, and they found themselves back together in Phoenix. The duo’s reunion isn’t the only one in the Valley with Brian Randle.

Randle was under the leadership of former Suns head coach Monty Williams from 2020-2023. After Williams’ firing, Randle followed him to the Detroit Pistons in 2024, but then moved on to the Washington Wizards the next season. The 40-year-old had a successful college and pro career before getting into coaching and joining Ott’s staff.

“You want your staff to be high character and high care, so who they are as people: loyal, trustworthy; and then do they do the work?” Ott said. “And if we can consistently find that in our staff, we’re in good shape.”

Ott is looking for similar age coaches that share the same philosophies as him. Finding that connectivity between coaches in a staff is how structure and a culture is formed. If everyone believes in a common goal, then so will the players. Ott’s top assistant will be a former head coach that fits that mold and buys into what he’s building in Phoenix.