Suns, Mike Budenholzer Believe He Can Enhance Role Players

PHOENIX -- Mike Budenholzer has several pressing duties now that he is leading the helm of the Phoenix Suns.

None may be as vital as the way the championship-winning coach figuring out how to maximize role players, a feat that he stressed is of paramount importance on Friday.

"I’m gonna push them to be even more, but how do we make the other people around them their best?" said Budenholzer when asked about maximizing star players.

"How do we get the most out of the other guys that are starting and playing with them? The guys that you gotta manage 48 minutes. I think the great coaches, that’s actually the characteristic or the thing that ‘how will be get the best out of those guys?’”

Suns owner Mat Ishbia and company took many calculated risks last offseason when it came to acquiring role players with potential to be great fits on the roster - and the majority unfortunately didn't work out.

Some would argue the shortcomings were on the players.

Keita Bates-Diop, Yuta Watanabe, and others could be seen as role players that simply weren't what the front office thought they were.

It also could be said that the coaching staff didn't give proper opportunity to select players - with Chimezie Metu and Nassir Little being names that come to mind here.

The truth likely lies somewhere in the middle, but the past is what it is now.

The presence of Budenholzer should instantly boost the morale of Suns fans, as he has an extensive list of role players that were at their best under his tutelage in both Atlanta and Milwaukee.

Players such as Kent Bazemore, DeMarre Carroll, and even Kyle Korver - who made his only All-Star team in Atlanta in 2015 - were players that unquestionably peaked under coach Bud.

Ditto for Pat Connaughton, Jevon Carter in Milwaukee.

Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez, and even Wesley Matthews were able to revitalize careers that were seen to be on the decline prior to joining forces with Budenholzer.

There's little doubt the roster will look different in 2024-25 compared to the previous campaign - the ultimate question is if the front office will supply coach Budenholzer with suitable personnel where he can once again work magic with players that have been written off.