Phoenix Suns Rookie Press Conference: Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro, and James Jones

Phoenix Suns Rookie Press Conference: Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro, and James Jones

hello everyone uh W I want to welcome everyone uh to HQ uh the home of the Phoenix Suns Phoenix Mercury and Valley Suns uh player 15 group uh this is our home and today’s a good day uh because I get the pleasure of introducing two of the newest members of the Phoenix Suns team and family um Ryan and Oso um we went into the draft this offseason thinking we wanted to add guys that embodied all the characteristics that traditionally have made the Phoenix Suns a great franchise guys that love the game they play with passion they’re great teammates great role models hard workers uh diligent charismatic but most importantly passionate about the game of basketball and the history uh specifically the history of basketball here in Phoenix and so throughout the draft process uh we were fortunate enough to work with so many young talented uh uh potential uh draft prospects and two stood out for us Ryan and Oso and so as we went into the draft uh we we had two objectives can we get younger more athletic uh more Dynamic but more importantly uh could we increase the competitive nature um of our team and and it was evident quickly that these two guys um fit the bill and so it’s with a lot of uh I say more more than anything excitement that I’m able to introduce Ryan and also to the Phoenix Suns family Phoenix Suns fan base um and all the basketball fans that support the Phoenix Suns across the world uh and the USA and so with that I’d like to stand and give these guys uh an acknowledgement and a round of applause and welcome welcome them to Phoenix and so before I start um and and and pass it to to them for opening remarks um I’d like to take a moment to give these guys their just do um they’ve accomplished something extremely special and so this is a big moment for them their families we welcome them here too you guys are a part of our family going forward and I want to make sure that you’re able to participate in this moment and so with that I’d like to introduce a new Phoenix Sun member Ryan dun thank [Music] [Applause] and then I I’ll move I’ll [Music] move and next I’d like to introduce [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Oso all right right and now you can [Music] see and so with that I’ll kick it off uh to Ryan who has some opening remarks okay wow um first I just want to say um I’m very grateful to be here um since I was a kid this was a dream of mine to you know be in this opportunity and me also I think as well so to be sitting here and you know having the opportunity to pursue the next chapter in my life I’m excited to start here in Phoenix um I’m excited to get to work I’m excited to learn from a lot of great players a lot of great coaches a lot of great front office people and just um being able to expand my game expand my knowledge as a not even a basketball player but as a human being as well um at on to the basketball point I’m just excited just you know just to bring my young energy to these players and you know compete as hard as I can and just you know learn as much as I can so again I thank you guys for giving me the opportunity to start my career here in Phoenix I’m excited to get to work and then yeah just want to say uh thank you guys for having me uh I’m from Chandler so grew up and this is just a blessing to be here on this team and this organization um been working really hard to get here and have a lot more work to go so super appreciative for the opportunity uh James and the rest of the staff for taking a chance and and seeing a future in me so super excited to be here and get to work great we can open it up for questions please remember to state your name and affiliation thank Gerald for starting with you there you are Gerald hey guys Gerald Borg phnx Sports Ryan Oso welcome to the valley congrats on getting drafted um I would love to hear both of your thoughts on this I know it’s hard to articulate but what was your reaction when you heard your name called and how has it been how exciting is it to join this particular son’s team oh I’ll start um hearing my name called was very surreal um as a kid my mom’s probably laugh but I used to wear a suit when I was young and watching on TV and dream walking across that stage and shaking my mom’s hand so to do it in real time at this time it was kind of surreal moment but it hasn’t really hit me yet that I’m really here and I think once I suited up and started playing I would probably hit but um it was kind of just a moment of all the hard work I done as a kid and growing up now but starting this chapter now it’s a lot more a lot more to go um I got to this mountain I got to start climbing it so I’m excited to have that for me yeah when I heard my name it was it was crazy uh just super blessed to have this opportunity and to experience that with my family and and my coaching staff uh was was super special my mom started crying so that was I almost I almost held it in cried a little bit but uh yeah it was super special uh really good night for sure Kellen hey guys Kell Olsson Arizona Sports welcome to the valley congratulations on getting drafted I wanted to ask both you guys about the offenses that you played in in college Ryan will call yours methodical it was it was a slower pace for sure how do you expect the pace and space of the league to kind of open up your game and then alsoo you guys ran a lot of pro style stuff in terms of your comfortability with the playmaking roles you’ll handle just how much that’s going to help you with the transition to the league yeah I at marquet we ran a lot of NBA offense just free flowing five out and it was uh I feel like it really preparing me to play in a system like this with a team like this um yeah I think my playmaking and my ball skills will be really good for this team as a connector all the scoring that is on this team I think that someone like me that can kind of fill those gaps in between is uh can be really effective so I think that I’m GNA I’ll lean on my experience at Marquette and try to bring that here for sure yeah uh my offense was a little bit different more methodical like you said but I think you know learning the pace and you know getting up and down more and being more transitional offense is going to help me a lot um me and alsoo our athleticism is going to help a lot with the young energy you know getting up and down the floor and you know just finding a role um I think that’s what Virginia is about learning being in your role and doing the best job in your role so um finding my role and establishing this early in the year and you know learn from Kevin and B and everyone you know the good vets and you know just keep developing my game over time so I think that’s probably help me a lot Richard Richard signs Fox 10 welcome to the valley guys welcome home uh this one’s for for James you were pretty active on on draft day just tell us what it’s like you know trading down and then hoping Ryan’s still there and then you know having to trade up to make sure you don’t miss out on El so I would imagine it’s like kind of hitting a big shot in the game with the the pressure is on and you’re you’re hoping things go your way meanwhile we we were fortunate enough that the things did fall our way uh but we had a plan going into it we knew that we had um the ability uh to to trade some assets that we had to to gather more to Target the two guys that we wanted and and luckily for us uh as the draft move there were a couple players that fell and so it shifted draft position and just put us in in in a in a space where we could uh be extremely aggressive and get the guys that we wanted um but that’s that’s the draft uh you don’t know going into it you’ll be able to get everything that you want uh but we believe we got everything that we wanted plus hey hello all right how you guys doing I’m Joshua Haron Arizona PBS Cronut news this question is for you also I spoke to coach Crump and he said he leaned on you during a tumultuous year at DV so my question for you is what did that time teach you about overcoming aders adversity that you look to apply to your NBA Journey yeah I think uh well first of all shout out coach Gino CR my high school coach I have a lot of appreciation for him uh I learned a lot during that year just learned to have a leadership role and to really Embrace that I think that the culture that we started in high school helped me in college and hopefully will continue to help me at the NBA level so just continuing to be who I am and embracing culture and Leadership and all those steps even as a young player is something that I’m going to look forward to doing Elliot poov Arizona’s family congrats guys on being drafted alsoo obviously being a local kid did you grow up a big Suns fan and what was kind of your connection to the Suns when you were younger and Ryan do you have any kind of connection to Arizona at all and if so I mean what’s your and if not what are your initial impressions of being here in the valley so far yeah I didn’t really grow up a Suns fan Suns weren’t very good when I was growing up unfortunately unfortunately but yeah I grew up I watched a lot of LeBron James was my favorite player watched Kevin Durant obviously um so it’s it’s to have someone like that on the team is special and I always want I like the players I would watch I just you know it was but we’re growing we’re we’re trying to improve trying to win a championship now so uh I’m a Suns fan now for sure good question um yeah I’ve been to Phoenix a couple times my older brother Justin um does a lot of his training out here and I work out sometimes down here um so so I always came down these past two summers um first impression it is hot in the summer um but this what you got to deal with luckily my sports inside I like his is outside so I’m okay with that but you know I like it here that’s why I told my family every time I came here I really enjoy Phoenix it was something that i’ always love just being down here and just being in the city so you know I’m excited to get my career started here Nick hi guys Nick King from Arizona’s family um have either of you guys had running with anyone on the team uh KD book Bill specifically and what do you imagine it’ll be like once you start practicing with those guys um I haven’t yet I think I think I’ll probably get some more down when the season gets started um but I think you know on this veteran team it’s going to be a lot of learning and a lot of you know people coming at me and also we’re rookies um trying to test us and see how we are as a player and how we how we reflect so it’s just kind of going to be not backing down but you know so like giving them respect but also not trying just you know just to be Freight you know going up and challenging and getting them the best they they can you know and helping us improve you know defensively guarding these guys you know just trying to learn as much as we can yeah I actually met Kevin Durant a couple weeks ago in La he was working out at Sports Academy yeah probably had no idea who I was but uh it’s it’s definitely cool to meet him and yeah I’m excited to compete against those guys I think that um I I feel like I get better with the competition I’m playing against so I’m really looking forward to playing against it’s the best of the best Brandon Brendon ma burn City Sports James was saying how he liked you guys in the pre-draft process how did you guys feel about Phoenix in the pre-draft process and what was that whole process like for you guys uh yeah the whole process was kind of a surreal and crazy moment flying from City to City day after day it was kind of tiring but um you know I think I did a really good work out in Phoenix I showed a lot um to Coach Jones and you know the whole staff so um forever thankful for guys taking opportunity on me to you know come and you know show what I can do and improve to starting here in Phoenix Ryan I was curious about that your jump shot in the pre-draft process was focused on a lot how eager were you to get in pre-draft workouts like the one you had with Phoenix and show excited I was so excited um you know just just showing what I can do and how I can shoot it um you know I thought was the whole talking point of my whole draft process cuz I shoot so you know not just even the Phoenix everywhere I went it was just you know show that I can do a little bit more um and it’s still improving um just more reps and more reps all over again you know just getting out there and shooting but I’m I’m excited you know it’s to show so I’m grateful I did a pretty job here you those um I would say I’ll say yes I would say um I think it was a little TR but you know I was had to shoot him so being in this league now and you know having an opportunity you know to be with these guys I’m going have to let it go so that’s my mindset right now I and Gerald Borg phnx Sports over here as the defensive playmaker that you are and that you showed in college how exciting is it to be able to come into a situation where on a daily basis you’re going to be matched up with Elite level scores to kind of push you in that regard it’s going to be fun um that’s the biggest thing I’m excited for you know I’m playing against some of the best offensive scores in in the history of the game um especially right now so um going up against them day by day you know I’ll probably get torch a little bit there and there but it’s it’s how it is I’m ready for that my ups and downs but it will help me get ready you know especially with those those guys you know learning from them and you know having to take that into going against different players in the league so I’m excited you know for me and know so to go against them in practice our last question Joshua okay also for you Crump also raved about your care for others that you demonstrated in high school and that you would look to bring to Phoenix who in your life growing up did you see exemp ify that selfless attitude yeah I would say my mom uh just my whole life she’s always just been about others and prioritizing others over herself and I think that that definitely played a huge part of my life and is why I am the person I am today I think that that’s what makes me so special on the court is my care for others and how I get others involved and I’m a good teammate good locker room guy so I think that continue like I said before continuing to be myself and bringing that to the NBA is is something I’m looking to do let’s do one photo up let’s have you stand in the middle and then we’ll wrap with that thank you everybody congrats [Applause] than [Applause]

Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro, and James Jones speak at the Phoenix Suns Press Conference as the Suns Rookie Draft Class is officially introduced to the media on July 2, 2024.

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