The Suns have quietly been one of the surprising stories of the NBA season, and first-year head coach Jordan Ott has been a huge part of Phoenix's success.
Let's get to my NBA Coach of the Year prediction and why you should bet Jordan Ott now at +10000.
NBA Coach of the Year Prediction: Bet Jordan Ott Now at +10000
The Suns continue to be off the radar for many, currently floating in the play-in range of teams most likely to become fodder for the Thunder or Spurs in the first round, and that's Phoenix's most likely destination this season.
But believe it or not, the Suns are also only two games back of the 3-seed in the Western Conference right now, which means Phoenix has a real shot to make the playoffs outright and even host a playoff series.
It also means that Ott is badly undervalued as a Coach of the Year long shot bet at +10000.
NBA Coach of the Year Odds
- J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons) -185
- Joe Mazzulla (Celtics) +200
- Mitch Johnson (Spurs) +1200
- Charles Lee (Hornets) +1200
- Jordan Ott (Suns) +10000
- Darko Rajaković (Raptors) +12500
- Erik Spoelstra (Heat) +15000
- David Adelman (Nuggets) +20000
Odds via FanDuel as of Thursday, March 12 at 6:00 p.m. ET
NBA Coach of the Year Pick
It's never easy to make up two games on one opponent, let alone four of them, so it won't be an easy climb for Phoenix.
The truth is that the current 7-seed is probably a perfectly reasonable and even "accurate" representation of how good the Suns have been in the West.
But reality doesn't always reflect accuracy.
The Rockets, Lakers, Nuggets, and Timberwolves appear to be jostling for position in that 3-to-6-seed range in the West, but most underlying metrics would paint the Lakers as by far the worst team of those four, with the Rockets rapidly losing ground too with all of their injuries.
But no matter how true that is on paper, those are still your 3- and 4-seeds if the playoffs started at this moment.
The Suns face a daunting schedule. They've just started a six-game road trip which will include trips to Boston, Minnesota, and San Antonio next week alone.
It would be perfectly reasonable for Phoenix to lose two or all three of those games, and if so, the Suns are probably locked into the play-in race and our Ott ticket for COY is dead.
But what if they don't?
Winning two of three against the Celtics, Wolves, and Spurs wouldn't just boost Phoenix in the standings — it might also shove the Suns squarely into the national conversation, with attention for Ott nearly certain to follow.
Ott is a first-year coach of a team completely outperforming expectations, which makes him an absolute bullseye for the type of coach that's win Coach of the Year in recent seasons.
He's helped the Suns explode in offensive rebounding and 3-point shooting this season and has helped transform a group of overlooked players into a somehow top-10 defense.
If the Suns can get through this road trip and pick up a few tough wins next week, the schedule looks very doable from there.
The final game of the season comes in Oklahoma City, likely resting by then for the playoffs. That final week also includes games against the Rockets and Lakers, which are a direct opportunity for the Suns to make up ground in a seeding race — or for you to hedge your ticket, if you like.
The path is narrow, but that's how 100-to-1 bets work.
There are always any number of good candidates for Coach of the Year.
J.B. Bickerstaff is the favorite for the 1-seed Pistons, and Joe Mazzulla, Mitch Johnson, and Charles Lee are justifiably next in the odds.
But if the Suns somehow get to the West 3-seed against all odds, it will be awfully hard to not give Ott a long look for Coach of the Year — and at 100-to-1 odds, he's worth a sprinkle for Coach of the Year.
NBA Coach of the Year Best Bet
- Jordan Ott (Suns) +10000
