New Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer said in his inaugural press conference Friday that he is “excited” about the current lineup, but pointed to key areas for improvement.
“I'm excited to work with this roster and these players,” Budenholzer said, according to ESPN. “We have great players, and with great players comes great expectations, and I think we embrace that.”
Budenholzer likes the roster made up of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, but knows acquiring a point guard is something the team should focus on this offseason. Ta.
“The conversations were great and there's no question we need to look at the entire roster and talk about point guard,” Budenholzer said. “I believe this is the most important issue here, whether it's the media, the players or the front office. We need to think about it.
“We need to be able to play without weapons. We probably need to have weapons. We need to be versatile. We need to be able to play in different ways.”
The Suns have plenty of star power with Durant, Booker and Beal, but they lack a true point guard on the 2023-24 roster. That was one of the main reasons why the Minnesota Timberwolves dominated in the first round and ended up disappointing in the playoffs.
Phoenix had the sixth-worst assist-to-turnover ratio of the regular season at 1.82, but that number could improve dramatically if the point guard runs the offense.
The Suns lost to Budenholzer and the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, just a few seasons removed from their only NBA Finals appearance this century. The Phoenix roster that made it to the Finals was highlighted by one of the truest point guards in Chris Paul.
Building a roster similar to the 2021 team with Durant, Booker, and Beal could be successful. Perhaps the Suns could try to bring back Paul, who could become a free agent if the Golden State Warriors choose not to exercise their $30 million team option for next season.
Whether it's Paul or someone else, it's clear that one of the Suns' biggest priorities this offseason is acquiring a point guard.
