How New Coach Makes or Breaks Suns

One writer believes this is the most pressing question surrounding the Suns.

May 17, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Mike Budenholzer poses alongside General Manager James Jones during a press conference to announce his job as head coach of the Phoenix Suns. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

PHOENIX --The Phoenix Suns are less than a month away from the first opportunity to see the newly constructed roster headlined by a coach who is fresh on the job.

Mike Budenholzer - who the Suns hired in May - is a one-time champion and two-time coach of the year. The various accomplishments and extensive track record Budenholzer has been able to display has managed to be swept to the side due to two consecutive untimely playoff exits that lead to his exit from the Milwaukee Bucks.

Jasmyn Wimbish of CBS Sports is one of those skeptics. Wimbish believes the transition from Frank Vogel to Budenholzer is, in fact, the most pressing question surrounding Phoenix going into the 2024-25 season.

"Since making the NBA Finals in 2021, the Suns have fired two coaches, traded for Kevin Durant, traded an aging Chris Paul for an oft-injured Bradley Beal and have only made it as far as the second round of the playoffs. Last season we saw why you can't build a "superteam" like you could under the old CBA rules, as the Suns put together a skeleton roster around their Big 3 of Durant, Beal and Booker. It won them 49 games, a success in its own right, but they also got swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Timberwolves. They parted ways with Frank Vogel after just one season, and brought in Mike Budenholzer who led the Milwaukee Bucks to a championship against this Suns team.

"Phoenix added Tyus Jones and Monte Morris to handle the point guard duties, something the Suns sorely needed a season ago, but given how quickly Vogel was let go, the biggest question here is if Budenholzer can last longer than the previous coach. Budenholzer was criticized during his Milwaukee tenure for his lack of in-game adjustments, but he's also known for getting the very best out of his teams. He'll unlock whatever untapped talent exists on this roster, and his Milwaukee teams regularly ranked near or at the top of the league in defense."

- Wimbish on the Budenholzer question

These are valid points.

The Suns have made numerous attempts to try to fix what wasn't working at the time. Those, in large, have failed to pan out thus far - and Budenholzer has to make conspicuous changes to validate himself as the correct choice for the job rather than a desperation hire from the front office in an attempt to patch up an untenable situation.

Budenholzer has much more to work with compared to his predecessor - from a pair of uber-efficient point guards in Tyus Jones and Monte Morris - to a fresh pair of rookies (Ryan Dunn/Oso Ighodaro) to develop for both timelines this franchise faces.

He has also been considered the paramount of regular season success - having coached only two seasons below .500 over the course of his time as a head coach.

The Suns could almost certainly use the apparent ceiling raising the Arizona native brings to the table - and this will be apparent very early on if the team is near the top of the NBA in three-point attempts per night.

In a season that should be better compared to the last, it will ultimately be up to Budenholzer and the duo of Booker/Durant to dictate how far the team can truly go.