Top Objectives for New Suns HC Mike Budenholzer

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are moving forward with Mike Budenholzer in a hope that the third main voice for the organization in three seasons will lead to positive change in year two of the "big three" experiment with Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant.

"With great talent comes great expectations," said coach Budenholzer at Friday afternoon's introductory press conferecne.

He is completely correct - as that is the reason why another coach was necessary, but there's more that must be figured out then simply optimizing star talent in Phoenix.

Three major objectives that need to be addressed in year one under coach Budenholzer:

3. Increase Three-Point Volume

The emphasis on getting up more shots from beyond the arc was something that was made abundantly clear by coach Bud during the presser on Friday.

It's simply inexcusable for a team with the shooting talent that the Suns boast to get up fewer than 30 three-point attempts over the course of a 48-minute playoff contest - and they somehow did exactly that.

The NBA is a math game now more than ever, and the Suns must be able to see the value in analytics - especially with the talent that they boast.

2. Consistently Hold Accountability

This was another topic that Budenholzer made very clear would be a point of emphasis.

Arizona Sports insider John Gambadoro confirmed that former head coach Frank Vogel didn't hold enough accountability. Reports also surfaced after the playoff exit echoed that sentiment, as players were supposedly unimpressed with the change in tone from the coach later in the season.

Budenholzer will attempt to keep things consistent on all fronts in an attempt to hold up as an authority figure - and holding players accountable will be one of the first steps.

Any team whom wishes to seriously content needs to be connected, and that is just one way that can be accomplished.

1. Improve Regular Season Output

Two extra wins during the regular season may not have changed the ultimate fate of this season for Phoenix, but it could have lined up more favorably.

The Suns simply weren't built to handle Minnesota's physicality in a playoff setting - and it certainly is a valid question if they could have found themselves in the Dallas Mavericks' position currently if they held on to win games such as the San Antonio Spurs on the road or the Houston Rockets at home during the regular season.

The Suns had been there and done that against the L.A. Clippers, and could have reasonably taken that series.

They would have drawn the talented, yet inexperienced Oklahoma City Thunder in the semifinals - and that matchup could have been exploited in the Suns' favor - to the similar effect that Dallas did.

Once again, it was no guarantee that the Suns would have taken advantage of the more manageable side of the playoff bracket, but it goes to show that regular season bouts are more meaningful than some would like to admit.

Budenholzer's teams have historically held up quite well in the regular season as well, so the Suns' fortunes should be on the upswing moving forward.