Phoenix Suns Veterans Take Part in Unconventional Team Workout

The 2026-27 season is quickly approaching for the Phoenix Suns, with just over one month remaining until the team convenes for training camp. 

The offseason has lent runway for outside eyes and members of the fanbase alike to be skeptical, including around the trade to bring forward Miles Bridges to Phoenix.

While there is reason to be more reserved in the optimism department, the team is certainly putting in the work to be great over the 82-game regular season.

Part of the regiment leading up to the season is an unconventional one. The team executed workouts with UFC HOF Forrest Griffin, among other UFC figures while the organization participated in the Las Vegas Summer League in July. 

This simple feat might seem trivial at the surface, but it speaks volumes to just how motivated the Suns are to continue to surprise the basketball world in the year to come. 

The most obvious takeaway from this exercise is that the team has a uniform goal to continually improve by any means necessary. This is a gritty, defensive-minded roster that invites competition, physicality, and going the extra mile to win 50-50 balls. 

Second-year member of the franchise Dillon Brooks is at the forefront of the revolution that the organization is undergoing. It isn't overstepping to assume that previous Phoenix teams simply would have balked on the opportunity to improve in unconventional ways. 

This plays right into the narrative that the upcoming Suns team is as connected as any previous rendition since the 2020-21 team that reached the NBA Finals. This is in large part due to the culture that is ever improving under general manager Brian Gregory and head coach Jordan Ott.

Gregory is proving himself as capable of acquiring players that are hungry to compete and earn their keep in the league. Ott is growing as a coach before the eyes of the basketball world, while also employing an exceptional coaching staff that is predicated on player development.

The most jarring takeaway from this development that has come to light is that the Suns are solely locking in on a singular goal in 2026-27. The team is all-in on improving upon a 45-win campaign, growing as a team unit, and laying the foundation for a bright future in the city of Phoenix. 

The Suns open up preseason play on the road against the Detroit Pistons on October 5.