On the evening of May 10, 2024, NBA Hall of Fame Shams reported that the Suns hired championship coach Budenholzer as the team's head coach. Less than 24 hours after Vogel left class, the Suns finalized a new head coach and reacted quickly. Buden's annual salary reached $10 million, much higher than Vogel's annual salary of $6 million. Budenholzer stepped down from the Bucks on May 5, 2023, and has been assembling a coaching team ever since, preparing to return to the head coaching role. In February 2023, the new owner of the Suns, Ishbia, spent $2.28 billion to acquire a 57% stake in the team, and then acquired Durant from the Nets trade to form a Big Three with Paul, Ayton, Beal, and Nurkic. But in the end, the Suns were swept 0-4 by the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, and Vogel was sacked. The Suns have changed managers three times in one year, with a staggering frequency.
Heard that Budenholzer is going to play the Suns? This is a big name in the NBA coaching world! In 2021, the Arizona-born coach led the Bucks to the Finals, and finally defeated the Suns in seven games to win the first championship trophy in team history. Budden is 484-317 in the regular season and shooting 60.4 percent from the field in the playoffs and 56-48 in the playoffs, shooting 53.8 percent from the field.
The coach, who has been a Suns fan since he was a child, studied under Popovich and specializes in offensive tactics and taking advantage of space. His wild attacking philosophy often leaves opponents unguarded. That's what Buden did during his time with the Bucks, developing him into one of the NBA's top interior players today, while also playing the role of Middleton, Holiday and others to build the team into an offensive ferocious team.
Now, Buden is coming up with a strong Suns roster. Durant, Booker and Beal, the presence of these three giants, will pose a great challenge to Buden. After all, the tacit understanding of the Big Three and the lack of defense need to be studied by Buden. One thing is for sure, that is, Buden will definitely bring a new offensive system to the Suns, and this team's offensive firepower will definitely go to the next level.
Why did the Suns choose Budenholzer? The Arizona-born coach has been a Suns fan since childhood and has a special affection for the team. He studied under Popovich and excelled at attacking tactics and taking advantage of space, and his wild offensive philosophy often left opponents unguarded. That's what Budden did during his time with the Bucks, developing him into a top interior player in the NBA, while playing the roles of Middleton, Holiday and others to build a team with a ferocious offense.
Now, Buden will coach the Suns with a strong roster. Durant, Booker and Beal, the existence of these three giants, will pose a great challenge to Buden. The three's tacit understanding and defensive flaws require Buden to study countermeasures. One thing is for sure, Buden will bring a new offensive system to the Suns, and the team's offensive firepower will be taken to the next level.
In addition to hiring Budden, there is another important reason why the Suns chose this coach. That is, the opponent Lakers also set their sights on Buden, and the two sides started a contest for this. In the end, the Suns recruited Buden for a high salary of $10 million a year. This annual salary is nearly double that of Vogel. It can be seen how much the sun attaches importance to Buden.
The Suns' new owner, Ishbia, spent $2.28 billion to buy the team, and he is eager to lead the team to a championship during his tenure. Buden, who led the Bucks to victory in 2021 and has a wealth of championship experience, is the natural choice for Ishbia.
Can the Suns' Big Three win the championship under Budden? This is a question to look forward to. Durant is the NBA's top active scorer, and his offensive ability is unmatched. Booker, on the other hand, is a great playmaker who can create great opportunities for Durant and Beal. Beal, on the other hand, is a top-tier interior player with excellent finishing ability on the offensive end.
The trio's offensive prowess is unquestionable, but there are some problems on the defensive end. Durant's defense has always been a weakness, and Booker's defense is only mediocre. Only Beal's defense is relatively good. How to play the power of the trio on the offensive end while strengthening the defensive end will be a difficult problem for Buden.
In addition, the tacit understanding of the three is also worth paying attention to. Durant and Booker were teammates when they were with the Nets, and the tacit understanding between the two should be good. But Bill is new to the team, and it is unclear whether he will be able to establish a good model of cooperation with the other two men soon.