Inside The Suns

Why Mike Budenholzer Makes Sense for Suns

What can Mike Budenholzer do to fix the Phoenix Suns?

Kevin Hicks

Apr 2, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer calls a play in
Apr 2, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer calls a play in / Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
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PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are getting ready to introduce their third coach in as many seasons - and the name that is anticipated to be thrown into the fray is NBA championship-winning coach Mike Budenholzer.

Budenholzer has been a wildly successful head coach over the last decade - to the degree of posting a 60% win percentage, boasting two coach of the year awards and winning an NBA title in 2021.

The Gregg Popovich protégé has simply been a consistently quality coach over an ample sample size.

Budenholzer ultimately could end up being a "slam dunk" hire despite a small number of concerns surrounding the move at the moment, and here's why:

Maximizing Offense

Budenholzer could unlock a level of the Suns' offense that Kevin Young and Frank Vogel could not.

As previously stated, Budenholzer is a Popovich understudy and has incorporated many of the principles from the Spurs' dynasty into his coaching philosophies

Budenholzer's general offensive philosophy is a five-out base that is predicated around spacing-and-pacing.

This philosophy and the sets that Budenholzer runs are somewhat resemblant of what Mike D'Antoni set the NBA on fire with nearly 20 years ago - and it would almost undoubtedly benefit a Suns offense that is seething with potential.

Budenholzer has found ways to maximize players such as Jeff Teague, DeMarre Carroll, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez over his career as a head coach.

Incorporating the "five out" and "strong" series concepts should give Phoenix much-needed modernization of the offense - here's to hoping that the necessary personnel tweaks are made as well.

Holding Accountability

One thing that will hopefully be a key differentiator between Vogel and Budenholzer is the player accountability perspective.

The reports of Vogel not being able to command respect of the locker room as the season progressed left the writing on the wall about his status - and the former Bucks coach could be considered the exact opposite.

Budenholzer's firing by Milwaukee last May was met with a mixed reception - and if you ask certain people, the firing was mostly made on the back of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Some players respond better to accountability than others and winning remedies most problems, but the Suns are arguably in need of an authority figure that will push everyone equally hard.

One could certainly argue that Vogel's status in Phoenix was doomed from the minute that he was forced to keep Young on his staff - things felt off from very early on this season, but Budenholzer's hand-picked staff is all the more reason that he could very much be the right man for the job.

Raises Regular Season Ceiling

The Suns won 49 games in Vogel's lone season - which was a disappointment compared to pre-season expectations and a moderate success considering the context that ensued as the season progressed.

Budenholzer's seemingly imminent hire instantly raises the potential ceiling of this squad in both the regular season and postseason - that is if the correct personnel moves are made over the next two months.

While Suns fans saw that regular season success means nothing in some cases, the Suns could have found themselves in a much more manageable spot with over 50 regular season victories - and it could be a very real possibility with the new coach coupled with a quality high-end talent pool.

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Kevin Hicks
KEVIN HICKS

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