The NBA preseason is close to ramping up as teams begin their media days and open training camps.
The Phoenix Suns announced on Monday that their media day will be held at the Footprint Center on Sept. 30. The event precedes opening of training camp next week, the first under new head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Media days usually consist of the team's general managers or owner, coach, new and returning players answering questions about the team's expectations for the new season, reflections from the previous season's outcome, offseason transactions and introducing new team uniforms.
The Suns will have much to speak on about the team's direction and more. Here's a closer look at what they'll likely be asked about.
How did new coach Mike Budenholzer connect with team this summer?
Every team's new head coach has to ingratiate themselves with their top players to create chemistry, blending their personalities. After Budenholzer replaced Frank Vogel, who was fired in May after one season, he spoke about his talks with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
"All of us are different. All of us are unique, but I think the common thread is they want to win, they want to be coached, they want to be held accountable, they want to know the vibe of practice and just everything," Budenholzer said during his introductory press conference. "They're kind of junkies."
The Arizona native -- he grew up in Holbrook -- Budenholzer still is in the honeymoon phase of his homecoming, but soon will be full throttle in the Suns' redemption quest after their first-round playoff sweep by Minnesota last season. Budenholzer likely will address how he's prepared this offseason returning to coaching after a year away from the NBA, following his termination from the Milwaukee Bucks in May 2023 which came just two seasons after he led them to the title over the Suns.
The two-time Coach of the Year is known for his space and high-pace offense bombing a lot of 3s, but hasn't had three superstars on one roster during his previous success in Atlanta and Milwaukee. Budenholzer likely will field more questions about how he, Booker, Durant, and Beal vetted each other this summer. Another area of potential inquiry: How Budenholzer connected with his expected rotation players in newly acquired point guard Tyus Jones, last season's NBA-best 3-point gunner Grayson Allen, starting center Jusuf Nurkic, sixth man Royce O'Neale, and backup centers Mason Plumlee (also acquired this summer) and Bol Bol.
Banking off Booker, Durant synergy from Olympics
Booker thrived as Team USA's glue guy in the Paris Olympics, as coach Steve Kerr called him the "unsung MVP" after they beat France for the gold medal. Durant was dubbed "Captain America" by his Olympics teammates as he earned a USA men's basketball record fourth gold medal and became the all-time leading scorer for Team USA, for either the men's or women's sides.
Earlier this month, ESPN NBA analyst Tim Legler explained on "NBA Today" why he thinks the Suns have the most potential among the league's teams to capitalize this upcoming season from Booker and Durant's Olympic success.
"That's gotta make Devin Booker feel really good in terms of how he's viewed as a winner. Kevin Durant was great. They come in, they're gonna get more than 41 games together this year with Bradley Beal," he said. "I love some of the new pieces they've added. I think Phoenix has the most to grab in terms of a team standpoint of those star players who played on the Olympic team.”
Can the Suns get to the 2025 Finals with Booker and Durant leading the way?
Will Suns' starting lineup put Allen on bench?
One of the biggest offseason debates among Suns fans and the media is who will be removed from the starting lineup: Beal or Allen?
That's in the wake of the Suns signing Jones to a one-year deal, coming off a career year in Washington. He fills the Suns' need for a true starting point guard . The Suns had a point guard by committee approach last season, with two-guards Booker and Beal out of position as they mostly initiated the offense. Their best starting lineup last season was Booker, Beal, Allen, Durant and big-man Jusuf Nurkic. If Jones starts as expected, that means Beal or Allen might be the odd man out coming off the bench.
The NBA is a business. The Suns gave up a ton for Beal when they traded Chris Paul in a mammoth package to Washington for him last summer. It's hard to believe that the Suns will convert a proven scorer in the 31-year-old Beal, who's owed a whopping $50.2 million this season, and over $110 million left in the additional years left on his $251 million contract, to be their sixth man.
Budenholzer obviously won't reveal who will be the starters on media day, as he'll figure out his rotations until the early part of the regular season. But it's a fair question.
Beal's health
Beal found his groove once he started to get fully healthy after Christmas last year after dealing with back and ankle injuries.
Through 53 games last season, Beal averaged the team's third-best 18.2 points, 5.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.0 steals and had .513/.430/.813 shooting splits. The latter percentage was his career best. Beal's health has been a concern the past three seasons, in which he hasn't reached more than 60 games since he produced his career-high 31.3 points for Washington in the 2020-21 season.
Al McCoy remembered
On Monday, former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo talked about how Al McCoy was ''synonymous'' with his famous catchphrases while announcing Suns games over 51 seasons. There would be no Suns media day without Al McCoy's spirit felt and personal stories shared by the players and team's brass after his death at the age of 91.
The Hall of Famer McCoy retired after the Suns lost in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals' series-ending Game 6 to that year's eventual champion Denver Nuggets.
The Suns' media room in the Footprint Center is named after McCoy. He formally began Budenholzer's introductory press conference as their new coach, which made Budenholzer gush reliving his childhood hearing Suns games on the radio in Holbrook. Booker had a close relationship with McCoy as well. The anecdotes and mementos about McCoy will be aplenty on media day.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns media day: Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, new coach, Al McCoy expected highlights
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