Mat Ishbia and James Jones have a lot to patch up in the offseason. With another disappointing performance in the NBA Playoffs by the Phoenix Suns, changes were bound to happen. Frank Vogel was the first domino to fall. Now, the organization is on the hunt to find someone who can lead the core of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal into glory. It looks like Mike Budenholzer might be the man for the job.
You heard that right! Mike Budenholzer, the coach who led Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks to the Larry O'Brien trophy, is the front-runner to land the Suns head coaching job, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Mat Ishbia is surely going all in the small championship window of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal. It even looks like they are starting as early as now to find the right system that Frank Vogel could not quite uncover.
Mike Budenholzer knows the path to the NBA Championship quite well. Moreover, he has also worked with stars in the Bucks system. So, this job will be quite familiar to him.
At his best, Bud is a mastermind who can work schemes at both ends of the floor. During his championship year, he led his squad to a league-leading 120.1 points per game. His brand of basketball clearly fits the Suns because in that same year, they also had a pace of 102.2 which is second in the league. His offense banks a lot on getting kickouts while also maximizing his outside shooters. This is the type of system where someone like Bradley Beal could penetrate while having Devin Booker and Kevin Durant pop out of the weak side for an easy three-pointer.
Moreover, his defensive schemes were also a marvel to spectate at its peak. It might be because of Antetokounmpo but his ability to use his personnel properly netted the 2021 Bucks a 111.4 defensive rating. This helped them rank 10th in the league. Clearly, he will need to adjust his schemes to the available players on the Suns roster. But, his veteran acumen proves that he can do well.
What do the Suns need?
The short and less complicated answer? They need direction. It was hard to gauge how good this Suns squad was. They'd topple down a great team in one game and then fall to a non-playoff contender in the next. A lot of their concerns started on offense where it looks like the big three were just taking turns playing isolation with some picks sprinkled over.
These offensive woes placed the Suns' players out of rhythm. Those issues were very evident. Frank Vogel's coaching philosophy only netted them a pace that clocked in at 98.3 which was ranked 15th in the NBA. The fact that their defensive rating was also at just a mediocre 114.6 also did not help.
There is not much the Suns can do in shaking up their personnel at the moment. But, they can try. However, every good team flourishes due to rotations and schemes. Bud can probably bring his experience in and patch up these holes.
Follow Us
Subscribe