Suns Promise to Adapt to Modern NBA

The Phoenix Suns know it's a numbers game.

Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer speaks to the media during practice at the Verizon 5G Performance Center in Phoenix on Oct. 1, 2024. / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are finally catching up to the rest of the NBA.

For far too long, the Suns would consistently settle for a plethora of mid-range shots and consistently fall behind the rest of the league in three-point attempts, requiring the Suns most nights to shoot an incredible shooting percentage just to beat the numbers game of their opponent putting up more three-pointers.

Under new head coach Mike Budenholzer, that's changing.

“He preaches a lot of threes, and I know that’s something we want to get more up and was a weak point of our team last year and the attempts that we got up,” said Grayson Allen, who was one of the NBA's top three-point shooters in 2023-24.

“We have a lot of great shooters, we just need to finally get more attempts up. I think his personality and coaching style fits the team really well.”

Phoenix's 32.6 averaged attempts per night from downtown ranked 25th last season. They ranked fifth in conversion percentage at a 38.2%.

The shift to take more shots from deep isn't just a calling card for big names such as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker or Bradley Beal - it extends down low to big man Jusuf Nurkic, too,

“Was really helpful to see the way we want to play. It doesn’t mean I’m gonna just shoot 10 threes a game. I wish, but not gonna happen," Nurkic said on his conversations with Budenholzer.

"And especially as a team, we want to get better there, attempting and making more 3s. But for me, that’s gonna be just a plus. I think it will just go back to the season in Portland that I had kind of free will to take the 3s, and it was a good experience.”

Previous leaders such as Frank Vogel and Monty Williams didn't emphasize the modern approach to the game.

Budenholzer looks to change that.

“With a ton of respect for both Frank (Vogel) and Monty (Williams), we’re gonna try and instill things that we hope are helpful to us being successful and winning in the playoffs and advancing,” he said at Suns Media Day.

“I think there’s things that fit this roster, there’s a style of play that fit this roster and the talent on it, and we can instill and bring to the table and the players embrace it and we become elite and one of the top teams in the league and compete for a championship.”