If there is one area in particular where the Phoenix Suns' roster struggled last season, it was the lack of a true point guard to run the show when things got tough. The experiment of having Devin Booker and Bradley Beal work in tandem fine during the regular season - when Beal was healthy - but less so once the playoffs rolled around.
You only need to look at the positive impact veteran floor general Mike Conley Jr. has had on the court for the Minnesota Timberwolves during their own postseason adventure, to see why the Suns need one. When the game slows down and possessions are harder to execute - as happens in every playoffs - the value of a true point guard comes to the fore.
New Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer was formally introduced to the media on Friday, and he was quick to address the point guard situation in The Valley.
When asked by the media scrum if the Suns still actually needed a point guard considering they have three All-Star level offensive players on their team, coach Budenholzer was able to offer up the following in response;
"The conversations have been great, and there's no doubt that we need to look at the whole roster and talk about point guard. I'm sure it's a hot button here, whether it's with you guys the media, the players or the front office. We need to think about it. We need to be able to play without one, and we probably need to be able to have one."Head coach Mike Budenholzer
As expected, this is a very media savvy answer from Budenholzer, but it should also worry Suns fans some as well. The new head coach didn't commit to one way of thinking on this subject, keeping the door open for this roster to move forward both with and without a point guard.
Ready to compete ☄️ pic.twitter.com/TuFWfmKJpx
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) May 17, 2024
Yet we've already seen that not having one doesn't work. It's partly why Isaiah Thomas was on this team by the end of last season, and why the recently fired head coach Frank Vogel threatened to use the barely seen David Roddy at the position. The same David Roddy who is listed as a forward, and to the knowledge of everybody has never spent a minute as a point guard in the past.
It would have been nice for Budenholzer to be more assertive in his need for a floor general out there, but his reluctance to go that far comes from a place of not knowing if the organization can even get one worth having this offseason. As things stand they could be looking at another go round with Cameron Payne - which is fine - but doesn't exactly move the needle.
If Payne as a backup wasn't the answer a few seasons back, why would Payne the starter be the solution now? That would also likely mean having a difficult conversation with Beal about coming off the bench - and while that may eventually be what happens here - that still felt some way off even after Beal's up-and-down first campaign in The Valley.
Really though what was the point in firing a head coach in Vogel who won 49 games with a top-heavy roster in his only season with the team, if you're not going to try and given Budenholzer better tools to win. The Suns need a veteran point guard, and for the new head coach to not come out and say that right off the bat might keep his front office happy, but it is concerning to hear.