Suns Coach Jordan Ott Credits 3 Players for Stepping Up

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns have unofficially reached the finish line of the regular season.

While the Suns still have two more matchups this weekend to complete their 82-game stretch, Phoenix is locked and loaded in the West's seventh spot.

It's been a year full of ups and downs when it comes to injuries, as nearly every player on the roster has battled through some sort of ailment that's prevented the Suns from reaching their full potential.

Yet in a season where things could have gone drastically wrong, role players have stepped up big time — most notably in the likes of center Oso Ighodaro, guard Collin Gillespie and forward Royce O'Neale. All of the aforementioned players have logged 77+ games for the Suns this season while stabilizing their respective areas of the floor.

"Huge, I think with the amount of injuries we've had from some key guys, it's put a ton on those other guys, and they've responded by having career years," Suns coach Jordan Ott said of those specific players.

"And part of having a career year, not only statistically, is being available, they've done a great job, obviously, playing through stuff. Now we've kind of got to the point where we're asking them now to sacrifice, and that's the hard piece. Those are hard conversations, but those guys are winners, and they want to win more than anything else, and all of us are going to have just sacrifice to get to where we want to get to.

"There's no way around it. And those guys, because they've been available every single night, have put us in a position to where we're at. So we're incredibly grateful for what they've done this season."

As Ott alludes to, the trio will likely have to take a step back in the postseason with starters projected to return to full health.

Gillespie has put himself into serious Most Improved Player award talks after surging up the Suns' depth chart from role player to a key part of Phoenix's backcourt this season. His ability to shoot, drive and facilitate has been instrumental under Ott.

Ighodaro's jump from Year 1 to Year 2 has been quite noticeable, as his role as Phoenix's No. 2 center behind Mark Williams has offered the Suns an athletic presence down low as a player capable of running the rim and sticking with more versatile players on the floor.

O'Neale's 40.9% clip from three is a career high, as his ability to knock down shots has kept the Suns in several games this season and could be crucial come playoff time when things get tight. We talk so often about Phoenix's shooters needing to take advantage of the spacing Devin Booker's presence provides, and that's exactly what O'Neale is capable of doing with his shooting.