Suns ‘Ready for the Regular Season’ as Preseason Comes to Close

PHOENIX -- Phoenix Suns coach Jordan Ott sent a clear message after the Suns closed out the preseason with a 119-116 loss to the Utah Jazz.

"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."

Even though the Suns finished the preseason 1-4, their starters and first unit off the bench already showed strong camaraderie, especially when it came to bringing energy on both sides of the ball.

There's still going to be some early growing pains as the season gets underway. but the Suns have done a good job of already building off the unexpected success and identity they found last season.

"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)."

The Suns open the regular season next Wednesday, Oct. 21 against the Portland Trail Blazers on the road and Ott said pregame he believes everyone will be available outside of Mark Williams, who suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder in the offseason, even after Luke Kennard (left knee tendon strain) and Oso Ighodaro (hip soreness) did not play against Utah.

A few key areas remain worth monitoring, including the center rotation with Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach without Williams, the addition of Miles Bridges and the fit of the starting lineup together, but the Suns couldn't have asked for much more in the preseason.

"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."