The Phoenix Suns are in panic mode right now, as they languish in 11th spot in the Western Conference with a 15-17 record. They're currently not even a part of the play-in race, which recently led one prominent NBA media member to claim he was just about ready for the franchise to blow this experiment up.
Actually doing that would be difficult though, as the Suns aren't going to trade Devin Booker while 36-year-old Kevin Durant was their best player of the last 12 months. With Bradley Beal in possession of that all important no-trade clause as well, it looks like this nightmare is set to continue in The Valley.
Head coach Mike Budenholzer has to take some responsibility for this.
We've already taken a look at his time in charge of the team so far, and the results have been middling at best. Previous leading man Frank Vogel had a roster that lacked a true point guard and also had to make do with Drew Eubanks as the backup big, yet that group overachieved on the defensive end.
But as fans of coach Budenholzer's previous team the Milwaukee Bucks will tell you - and Suns fans are slowing realizing this as the season progresses - he can be stubborn in trying to get a roster to play his way, no matter what. There are two such examples that really drive this point home, and there's no better place to start than center Jusuf Nurkic.
One of the worst losses of the season for any team https://t.co/Ilz4kdLeCl
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) January 1, 2025
There is no doubt Nurkic is limited in what he can do defensively, although on the other end he has been a nice fit next to Durant and Booker. He's a willing passer out of the post, and will screen for days if that's what is being asked of him. He has never been a threat from deep, and yet coach Budenholzer continues trying to make that happen. It is not going to happen.
There was success with the Bucks in turning Brook Lopez into a 3-point weapon, and coach Bud simply won't give up trying to do the same thing with Nurkic. His 2.4 attempts from deep each night are a career high, and that number was as high as three at one point earlier in the season. Yet despite plenty of open looks, Nurkic is connecting on only 30.4 percent of these attempts.
That's not even a career high - you have to go back to his last season with the Portland Trail Blazers for that - and yet it shows no signs of slowing down. You might remember coach Budenholzer also got superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to extend his range as well, and it is no coincidence that the Bucks are back to winning ways this season now that he's focused on dominating inside again.
Falling in love with players taking 3-point shots when they shouldn't isn't the only problem. Coach Bud is also too stubborn to realize that one of the starting players is seriously hurting the team defensively. That would be point guard Tyus Jones - who for all the good he has brought to Phoenix - is now being targeted nightly by opponents.
Perhaps backup Monte Morris could help, but it doesn't look like that change is happening anytime soon. Neither is the decision to bring Beal off the bench - which should have been explored months ago - although perhaps that is not all on the head coach. Beal is making a lot of money, and bringing him off the bench could unsettle the group.
When what we're seeing right now is the alternative however, it is something that has to be strongly considered. Instead we're seeing the same game plan week after week with this roster - and although injuries surely have not helped - coach Budenholzer doesn't seem to want to mix things up either. We can hear that "told you so" all the way from Milwaukee.