The Phoenix Suns may have taken a 119-116 loss to the Utah Jazz to close the preseason, but coach Jordan Ott walked out sounding like a team that had already checked the final box.
"We're ready. We're ready for the regular season," Ott said.
"We felt it there. We just talked about it in the locker room.
Like the preseason is done. We'll watch film on it tomorrow, kind of put it all to an end, and then we're going to be ready to go.
"These guys can feel it. We all can feel it.
The crowd can feel it. We're ready for the regular season."
That confidence came despite a 1-4 preseason finish. The Suns’ starters and the first group off the bench showed a clear sense of togetherness, especially in the way they brought energy on both ends of the floor. There are bound to be some rough patches once the games count, but Phoenix believes it has already started building on the surprise success and identity it found last season.
Jalen Green said the team has already settled into the style it wants to play.
"I feel like we've already established how we want to play and stuff like that," said Suns guard Jalen Green, who had 18 points against Utah. "Obviously, there's areas that can improve, and that's always going to be the case.
You're going to improve always. But, yeah, overall, yes (we've accomplished everything we wanted to in the preseason)."
Phoenix now turns to next Wednesday, Oct. 21, when it opens the regular season on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers. Ott said before the game that he expects everyone to be available except Mark Williams, who suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder in the offseason. Luke Kennard, dealing with a left knee tendon strain, and Oso Ighodaro, who was bothered by hip soreness, both sat out against Utah.
There are still a few things to keep an eye on, including how the center minutes are handled with Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach while Williams is sidelined, plus the arrival of Miles Bridges and how the starting five settles in together. Still, Ott made clear that the preseason gave the Suns more good answers than bad ones.
"When our rotation guys played, we played to our identity. We've taken some steps, added new pieces, but you don't know until it's jumped up Wednesday night," Ott said.
"We're in a good place. Health is always first and foremost when you get through a preseason.
"I think we're in a pretty good place there and what we've been able to do on the floor with this group seems to be headed in that direction. But we won't know until Wednesday night."
In Other News...
Devin Booker Sees One Huge Change For These Suns
After a season that was thinned out by injuries, the Suns are heading into 2026-27 with a far different kind of problem: keeping everybody on the floor healthy enough to build something early. Devin Booker and Jordan Ott have both pointed to the teams overall health as a major shift from a year ago, and with preseason work underway, the group has looked closer to the version Phoenix hoped it would have when camp opened.
Luke Kennard and Oso Ighodaro are expected to be ready for the opener, which gives the Suns a better chance to get rolling with the rotation they want instead of patching things together on the fly. The real test arrives right away on the road against the Trail Blazers, where Phoenix will find out quickly whether that healthier roster can translate into a cleaner start and a steadier early-season rhythm. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Roster Priorities
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Miles Bridges Could Decide How Far The Suns Really Go
Miles Bridges is already drawing attention in Phoenix before the regular season even begins, and not just because of the change of scenery from Charlotte. Former NBA head coach Tyrone Corbin said he believes Bridges can become a key player for the Suns in the 2026-27 season, a view that adds another layer to an offseason acquisition the team hopes will pay off as it tries to build on last years playoff trip under new coach Jordan Ott.
The timing matters because the Suns are heading into their opener after a 1-4 preseason, leaving plenty of room for questions about how quickly the pieces will fit together. Corbin also pointed to Devin Bookers maturity and offensive talent, a reminder that Phoenix still has top-end firepower, but the broader question is whether Bridges can become part of the answer when the games start to count and the Suns are judged on how far this group can really go. [Read more 🡒]