Mike Budenholzer addressed the idea of the Phoenix Suns needing a point guard during a smaller media scrum after Friday’s introductory news conference at Footprint Center.
“The conversations have been great and there’s no doubt we need to look at the whole roster and talk about point guard,” Budenholzer said. “I’m sure it’s a hot button here whether it’s with you guys, the media, the players, front office, we need to think about it. We need to be able to play without one. We probably need to be able to have one. We need to be versatile.”
This leads to another question.
Could Bradley Beal play like the last point guard Budenholzer coached in Milwaukee — Jrue Holiday?
They’re around the same height. NBA.com lists them both at 6-4 with Beal weighing 207 compared to 205 for Holiday. With the Bucks, Holiday averaged 6.8 assists to 2.6 turnovers under Budenholzer.
Beal averaged five assists and 2.5 turnovers this season. He took on a defensive role in his first year in Phoenix. Holiday is one of the NBA’s best point-of-attack lead defenders.
“Somebody has got to do it,” Beal said after a home win on March 21 over Atlanta. “I’ve kind of shifted my mindset the last couple of games. The offense will be there, but I’ve been worried about our defensive efforts. Shutting down guys on the other team and just making an impact on that end.”
Beal shot a career-high 43% from 3 in averaging 18.2 points this season. Holiday connected on a career-best 42.9% of his 3s in the regular season for the Celtics in his first season in Boston. He only averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 assists, but Holiday plays for the NBA's best team with two perimeter All-Stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Beal currently plays with two perimeter All-Stars in Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
So, they already have comparable numbers, but Beal is a proven scorer who averaged 30-plus points in back-to-back seasons playing for the Wizards. He averaged fewer than 20 for the first time since his fourth NBA season (2015-16), but Beal took on the duty of bringing the ball up and initiating the offense.
“Brad is really sacrificing for the betterment of this team,” then-Suns head coach Frank Vogel said during the season. “I think it’s worth pointing out. Him playing point guard. Him touching the paint as much as he’s touching the paint, not always looking for his shot. He took seven shots (against Atlanta) and he was arguably our most dominant offensive player, creating things for others.”
Beal showed last season a willingness to play point guard and take on the challenge of guarding some of the best perimeter scorers in the league. If he went into the season with that mindset, maybe the Suns can focus on finding a backup point guard and won’t have to land a starting point guard.
If Phoenix added a starting point guard or someone capable of starting, then Budenholzer likely would have to decide on whether to start Beal or Grayson Allen in a three-guard lineup. Allen started all but one of the 75 games he played in, as he had a career year in his first season in Phoenix.
Coming over in a three-team trade from Milwaukee where he played two seasons under Budenholzer, Allen signed a four-year, $70-million extension. Allen started 131 out of 138 games for the Bucks.
“There’s so many great players that I had the good fortune to be around, but he’s right up there,” Budenholzer said. “I love that guy. I love his toughness. I love his competitiveness. The way he was able to take his shooting to that next level this year, I wasn’t surprised.”
Allen shot a career-best 46.1% from 3 in leading the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage. He ended the season with an ankle injury that sidelined him for Game 3 and Game 4.
“I was just very happy for him to be honest,” Budenholzer continued. “It was a big year for him. He’s earned a great contract and an extension with us. He and I have been talking and laughing and I think we probably never wanted to be separated and now we’re back together. It’s pretty cool.”
The Suns don’t have much roster flexibility being they’re projected to spend over the second league tax apron next season with the NBA’s highest payroll at essentially $206 million.
Beal may not have any choice but to play the point guard position, but Holiday may be the ideal example for him to follow with Budenholzer now his new head coach.
More Suns:How will Suns coach Mike Budenholzer maximize the bench around Booker, Beal, Durant?
Point guard by committee
The Suns went into the 2023-24 season without a true point guard, thinking Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Beal could share the playmaking duties as well as 7-footer Jusuf Nurkic.
Booker tried to play the one, but he had his share of struggles. Beal ended up taking on the challenge, but the Suns finished 25th in the NBA in turnovers with Vogel calling them out late in the season.
Booker, Durant and Beal led the team in turnovers.
“We're not a good passing team,” said Vogel with a laugh after a win on April 12 at Sacramento. “It's the simplest way to put it. We have to improve our reads, our passing, our deception, our use of our eyes, our pass fakes and putting the ball on time, on target. We’ve got to get that corrected if we want to accomplish the goals we want to accomplish.”
Vogel reportedly wanted a point guard, but the Suns front office didn’t acquire one. Jones addressed the report in a news conference earlier this month.
“I think the team could benefit from having a point guard,” Jones said. “I believe the team could benefit from having backup forwards, backup centers. I still always go back to your best players on the floor. That’s a narrative we’ll hear a lot, point guard, point guard. Sure, that’s great. Who do you want? Who is available given the way we’re built? Who can fit with this group? Whose game seamlessly fits with this group and when you put that player on the floor and you take the ball out of someone’s hands, whose hands are you taking it out of and who are putting in that position?”
The Suns traded point guard Chris Paul in acquiring Beal last offseason.
“It’s more than just a position, like a point guard or small forward,” Jones continued. “It’s the actual player that you can get or you do have. If we had the point guard that would be the best fit for this group, we’d find him, if available."
Jones added, "I don’t run away from saying we could benefit from having a point guard. I just don’t think that was the answer to a lot of our problems.”
The Suns are 14th out of the 16 postseason teams in turnovers as they were the first squad eliminated from the postseason. Beal committed six turnovers in Phoenix’s final game of the season with five coming in the fourth quarter of a 122-116 Game 4 home loss to Minnesota.
“It was like I could do no right almost,” Beal said the day after Game 4.
The Magic and Pelicans are the only two teams who averaged more turnovers and they too made first-round exits. Phoenix and New Orleans were swept while Orlando lost in seven to Cleveland.
Have opinions about the current state of theSuns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin atdmrankin@gannett.comor contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at@DuaneRankin.
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