There is no doubt that Phoenix Suns' head coach Mike Budenholzer has endured a tough first season in The Valley. The Arizona native hitting the ground running with that hot 8-1 start - which featured a ton of 3-point shooting - before falling off entirely with this group. Not making the playoffs look like it is going to be the end game here, which is so far short of expectations it is barely believable.
The Suns did continue to push for a play-in spot in their recent win against the Chicago Bulls - and although the performance itself was far from convincing - that also felt like a game this team would have lost as recently as last week. Kevin Durant - who it looked like was not on the same page as his head coach - came out praising Budenholzer, and the whole feel of this group looks that bit better.
A clever change in how Budenholzer used his roster helped them win.
The Suns have had plenty of issues this season, but defending has been at the top of the list. The worst defensive rating in the entire league in February putting them in the 11th spot hole they have managed to briefly climb out of as they sit 10th, with the Suns having neither the personnel or the game plan to stop pretty much any opponent.
It's part of the reason why point guard Tyus Jones - so important to start the campaign - was eventually dropped to the bench, with Budenholzer seemingly ditching defending altogether in giving Bol Bol some run with the starting five. It is too late to become a coherent group on that end, but they could perhaps aim for league average from here on out.
Which is exactly what coach Budenholzer appeared to be doing in playing a nine-man rotation that featured a pair of rookies and a two-way guy in Collin Gillespie. Yes the Bulls still scored 121 points and it is also fair to point out that both Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen were injured. But this felt like more than just necessity out of the coaching staff.
Rookie Ryan Dunn started the game - as he has plenty of times this season - and played 29 minutes. Second round pick Oso Ighodaro also saw 20 minutes of action off the bench, and combined they managed 20 points and 11 boards. Point guard Gillespie - so often a source of energy on both ends when used - also started and managed 26 minutes.
For those keeping score at home then - despite having a trio of stars and veterans like Jones and Royce O'Neale who are excellent role players - the Suns started a rookie and a guy in Gillespie who is on a two-way. They also got big minutes out of Ighodaro, while the recently fit again Cody Martin rounded out that group.
"I don't get surprised by big nights from him. I almost expect it every night."
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 20, 2025
Kevin Durant on Devin Booker going for 41 points in Suns win over Bulls.
Credited Budenholzer for lineup in 2nd, 4th quarter as Suns have won 2 in a row for 1st time since late January. #Suns pic.twitter.com/vTdmwz5DGE
This season the Suns rank 26th in defensive rating (116.4), yet when Dunn is on the court that number shrinks to 113.5. It gets even better with Ighodaro out there, as the Suns concede only 106.7 points, which would put them second in the entire league. Obviously those numbers are happening in a smaller sample size, but the good that all three do defensively was evident against the Bulls.
It wasn't always pretty and the Suns lost the fourth-quarter 37-28, yet they found a way to get it done. It's almost like if you let Durant and Booker - who scored 41 points - do all of the scoring and have guys out there who both can defend and are willing to do so, good things will happen. Coach Budenholzer might just have found the solution for the rest of their season in using this mix.