'A competitor': Why coach Mike Budenholzer may be the difference for Phoenix Suns

New Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer is more than a “hell of a golfer” to Devin Booker.

“We actually got a round in, he’s a competitor,” Booker said at Monday’s media day at Footprint Center.

Budenholzer isn’t a player, general manager or team owner, but he may be the difference for the Suns this season.

“I think his coaching style and personality fits the team really well,” said Suns guard Grayson Allen, who played two seasons under Budenholzer with the Milwaukee Bucks. “He’s obviously a great coach, very experienced, a championship coach. I think he’s perfect for our team, our goals and what we feel like we want to do.”

Having won a championship coaching the Milwaukee Bucks over the Suns in the 2021 finals, Budenholzer has instant credibility and already has made a strong first impression in Phoenix.

“Obviously saw a lot of him in the in finals runs and he just wants to win,” Booker said. “I’m rallying behind him, what he says. That’s always been my motto. He wants to lead and we want to follow.”

Budenholzer replaced Frank Vogel, who was fired after one season. The Suns finished 49-33 to land the sixth seed in the West last season, but the Minnesota Timberwolves swept them in the first round.

The Suns essentially have the same roster as they talked about having continuity.

They added point guards Tyus Jones and Monte Morris, veteran big Mason Plumlee and rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, but Budenholzer was the biggest change from last season's team.

“We feel great about Coach Bud, he’s been amazing,” Suns team owner Mat Ishbia said. “We have really high expectations for him and what he’s going to accomplish here and to be honest with you, he’s exceeded those so far.”

Budenholzer didn’t coach last season after the Bucks fired him following the 2022-23 season, but is back in his home state coaching the Suns. The 55-year-old coach is from Holbrook.

“Just honest,” Suns 7-footer Jusuf Nurkic said. “When you meet someone for the first time and they say all the good and right stuff you want to hear, it makes you feel like OK, he’s one of those people or things that happen. But man, I feel like he was super happy he got here and have a team like that being home in Arizona, he was really on top of each of us individually from when he took over the job. I feel like every day it was something. Being honest helps in this league and in this world too of someone just telling you straight up what it is.”

Budenholzer expressed joy over the Suns wearing a jersey band honoring the late Al McCoy this 2024-25 season that has ‘AL’ on it.

The ‘Voice of the Suns’ for 51 seasons recently died at the age of 91.

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“I think everybody could see and know the special place he has, probably, in the whole state’s heart,” Budenholzer said. “All basketball fans’ heart, the Suns' heart, my heart. To honor him, I think it’s important to everybody, including me.”

Budenholzer is stressing to the Suns the need to shoot more 3s. Phoenix attempted 32.6 a game, finishing 25 ^th in the NBA in 3-point attempts last season.

That’s 10 fewer than the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics launched at 42.5.

“He preaches a lot of 3s,” said Allen, who led the league in 3-point percentage last season at 46.1%. “I know that’s something we want to get more up. It was a weak part of our team last year, the attempts that we got up. We have a lot of great shooters. We just need to find ways to get more attempts up.”

Allen believes the Suns can hit the top-five mark in 3-point attempts, as the Bucks were fifth in the league under Budenholzer.

Vogel preached hoisting 3s last season, but with Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Booker being guys who thrive in the midrange, the Suns didn’t consistently launch a ton of deep ones.

That won’t fly this season under Budenholzer, who is even asking Nurkic to “push the envelope” and take more 3s.

“We don’t have a choice,” Beal said. “Coach Bud pulled me into his office the other day and showed me like five or six clips of me literally passing up 3s and driving into the defense and turning the ball over. Driving into the defense and shooting a long two. He’s like, ‘just shoot the 3.’ It’s going to be tough because K and Book, they are 60%, 70% shooters from the two. So we’re going to continue to live with a lot of those, but when you see the championship teams, they’re first, second, third in attempts and makes and percentage. In order for us to be in that race, we’ve got to start shooting them.”

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrakin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin .

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'A competitor': Why coach Mike Budenholzer may be the difference for Phoenix Suns