Suns' Mike Budenholzer sounds off on intriguing lineup decision
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Some things are best left unchanged. Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer felt that in its entirety on Saturday. He moved Tyus Jones from the starting lineup to the bench. Subsequently, he put Bradley Beal back in the starting lineup. It came as a bit of a shock since the move wasn’t formally announced. After all, the Suns benched Beal, and that sparked an outcry.
Still, Phoenix is in a bit of a rut. Despite their win against the Chicago Bulls, they have some serious climbing to do. Budenholzer has exhausted every resource and option thus far. Now, he went back to his original starting lineup to begin the season. Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant are sharing the court at the same time.
Following the game, Budenholzer told AZCentral’s Duane Rankin why the move was made so abruptly.
“We’re always kind of looking and trying to figure out the best combinations, the best groups,” Budenholzer said. “We keep trying, and we keep mixing it up. Sometimes there are injuries, but he’s been good. We wanted to try it and look at it and feel that it was going to give us our best chance, and he responded well. He’s been really great for a while now.”
Suns’ Bradley Beal understood Mike Budenholzer’s request
Luckily, the request was well-received by Beal. Although he’s been a team player, moving from the starting rotation to the bench has to be a confidence killer. Still, he managed to persevere and thrive in his role. He’s done everything that has been asked of him.
In the locker room, Beal told Rankin about the conversation between him and his head coach before the announcement.
“Just simple dialogue,” Beal said. “He was just telling me he appreciated how I’ve handled everything. Definitely wasn’t the easiest thing, but I definitely feel for Coach, too. Because it’s not easy trying to figure out where the energy is coming from and how you can put some lineups together.”
As Beal mentioned, the team is consistently trying to find a rhythm and energy. As a result, that’s what Budenholzer explained why the Suns benched Beal. Throughout the stretch, the team played well, but once again, they lost their consistency. Coming out of the All-Star break, they dropped a game to the San Antonio Spurs.
It felt that when they took on the Chicago Bulls, it would be the tip of the iceberg for a fickle season. However, the offensive and defensive consistency found itself during the game. The Big 3 combined for 81 points, with Beal having 25 of those. His downhill ability, mixed with his ultra-aggressiveness, played well into the Suns’ hands.
Now, Phoenix will be on a short turnaround as they take on the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Even though it’s a back-to-back set, Budenholzer will hope to see the same consistency from his new starting lineup.
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