The Phoenix Suns are staying put with the group they assembled before the 2023-24 season but with a new leader. Shortly after their early playoff exit, the Suns got rid of Frank Vogel as their head coach and searched for a replacement. It didn't take long until they settled to hire Mike Budenholzer.
Phoenix had a disaster campaign in the recent season as they struggled to be a powerhouse in the Western Conference. Many expected them to be a title contender after they traded for Kevin Durant midway through the 2022-23 season and Bradley Beal over the summer. But injuries and strange roster makeups didn't allow the Suns to reach the expectations set before them.
This time, the front office is serious about making the most of what they have, and they pursued the hiring of coach Bud to make things gel.
Looking at how the Suns played last season, they need major changes to how they played. With Bud's experience, there's hope that the current group will fix their problems next season.
3. Execute better in the fourth quarter
The Suns had problems performing in the last quarter of games last season. They were 30th in average fourth-quarter margins with -2.4. Their performance last season was unexpected for a team with three elite star players. Terrible is a gracious adjective for the team, as they registered a net rating of -11.6, which had them at the bottom of the league.
For Bud, he was able to lead the Milwaukee Bucks well in the fourth quarter. Although the Bucks didn't dominate during the fourth quarter when the head coach was their leader, they didn't fall to the bottom. During the 2021-22 season, the Bucks were fifth in net rating when it came to their fourth-period performance.
The Bucks had a 3.9 net rating, which placed them at the fifth spot. It wasn't top three, but it was still impressive and was a valuable aspect of his leadership.