4 difficult questions coach Budenholzer has to solve before next season
By Luke Duffy
2. When to play the rookies (if ever)
The organization made a smart decision by actually using their draft picks this summer, but that doesn't mean that Dunn and Ighodaro are going to walk into a role on this roster. With both guys being on the older side for rookies (Dunn is 21 and Ighodaro 22), in theory they should be more ready to join the second unit from the jump.
But the Suns are also trying to win a championship - and while their youthful enthusiasm should be a welcome injection during the regular season - both guys are sure to see plenty of the G League as well. On the surface Dunn looks the more likely to see the court, but he also has to beat out stiffer competition for minutes.
"Within those 30 minutes, he would make anywhere from 40 to 70 of those shots. You’re looking anywhere from 200 to 300 a week and just in an individual workout we’d do outside of everything else.” #MUBB assistant Neill Berry on #Suns rookie Oso Ighodaro https://t.co/6S6NX5k9VZ pic.twitter.com/PMGqoKmVnC
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) July 25, 2024
Whereas Ighodaro is competing mostly with Nurkic and Plumlee - and he is clearly the most athletic of the trio - Dunn has Allen, O'Neale, Okogie, Nassir Little and David Roddy all jostling for position. Depending on the lineups coach Bud goes with, one of Booker, Beal or even Durant could be taking up Dunn's preferred position on the court too.
All of this is without even considering Jalen Bridges, a guy who went undrafted but who the franchise was moved to bring in on a two-way deal. He's even less likely to get minutes, but the fact remains that all three can help this team, especially on the defensive end. How Budenholzer balances the need to win now while also bringing along these guys will be an underrated part of their season.