The Phoenix Suns have been more than disappointing this season for fans. The finger-pointing and blame game has already taken place in the organization. The fans are rightfully outraged and are trying to pin the blame on someone. Some will say it is the front office that is at fault. They were the ones who built the roster for this team. Many will blame new owner Mat Ishbia as he went too gung-ho in trades to kick off his career. There will even be a few who blame the players as they show little to no effort some nights.
With all that being said, no person in this organization has taken the fall more in recent years than a Phoenix Suns’ coach. The Suns have had three different coaches over the last three seasons. Even fans are asking for coach Budenhozler to be canned. Nevertheless, current coach Mike Budenholzer has not been perfect by any means. He has made many mistakes, but this coaching carousel may have a more significant impact than many expect. Let’s explore Budenholzer’s performance and his future with the team.
The Phoenix Suns’ Coach Dilemma
Mike Budenholzer’s Flaws
Even if the coaching carousel does indicate a bigger issue, Mike Budenholzer has not been great this year. For starters, this team arguably has a better roster than last year’s. However, they have a worse record than they did last year. The Suns also are statistically worse in every category besides two compared to last year.
Phoenix Suns at the All-Star break, this season vs. last season: pic.twitter.com/fgoWuZBEow
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) February 13, 2025
Not to mention, the rotations we have seen thrown out by the Phoenix Suns coach have also been questioned. The Suns have dealt with injuries all year, so it was expected to see some random lineups. The only difference is coach Bud does not run cohesive lineups. To start the year, the Suns ran a starting lineup consisting of Tyus Jones, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Jusuf Nurkic. This lineup started hot but then, with injuries coming in early, was quickly shaken up.
Then, you look at the changes that were made. First, Beal and Nurkic were benched for Ryan Dunn and Mason Plumlee. Then Nurkic got DNP’d and traded to Charlotte. The Suns got Nick Richards, who has seen sporadic minutes since being brought in. He may start but sometimes plays under 20 minutes a night. This is shocking, as Richards is this team’s only impactful interior presence.
Questionable Rotations
Since rookie Ryan Dunn started earlier in the season, you’d expect that still, right? Nope, he went from starting to suffering an ankle injury to barely playing. After an impressive Rising Stars performance you would expect him to get some love. This is wild to most Suns fans as Dunn is the best point-of-attack defender on the team, yet he does not play when the Suns are a bottom-five defense in the NBA. In the Suns’ latest contest, he received six minutes in a game where the Suns allowed 151 points. If that is not coaching incompetence, I don’t know what it is, and that is only one example of plentiful in recent games.
Bol Bol was also a player on the roster who barely saw any playing time for this Suns team. He was shown in sporadic minutes and looked good, yet failed to get more playing time. Well, when the Suns are in throwing stuff at the wall phase now, Bol gets to play and shines. He got to start and show out for this Suns team, yet after only three games he was taken right back out after being impressive. Once again, coach Bud does not realize what is working for the team. Bol was thrust into the starting lineup after seeing the last three games not and once again balled out against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Bol Bol against the Grizzlies after getting the starting nod from Mike Budenholzer:
23 PTS
8 REB
2 BLK
8-11 FG
2-4 3PTGreat game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SXZaiL36c2
— Erik Ruby (@ErikRuby) February 26, 2025
The Last Word
These questionable decisions by Mike Budenholzer make the fans question the ultimate goal of this season. Is it to win and compete? Is coach Bud just trying to save face in the organization? It’s certainly possible that the Suns hire their fourth coach in four years. However, only the rest of the season and offseason will tell.
Photo credit: © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
