Known for his championship-winning defense and floor-spacing strategy, Mike Budenholzer brings a “talk is cheap” mentality in his first season with the Phoenix Suns. (Photo by Spencer Barnes/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – When Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić invites teammates to his summer training spot in Split, Croatia, the typical response is a sarcastic, “Yeah, I’ll be there” – the kind of response one would give to politely decline.
Not from coach Mike Budenholzer, though.
“I didn’t doubt it,” Nurkić said of Budenholzer accepting his invitation this past offseason. “But also, it’s the NBA. People say a lot of things that you want to hear. When I came to (training) camp, he was all about his words.
“From day one he said that, ‘Talk is cheap.’”
And so, as Nurkić sailed across the Dalmatian coast with his wife Emina, their friends and his new coach, he understood Budenholzer was unlike any other coach he played under in his career.
The same could be said for the rest of the Suns roster entering the start of a new season Wednesday. The team will carry a mantra that’s been a staple in Budenholzer’s coaching style for the majority of his career into its season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers.
“It’s cheap,” Budenholzer said. “It’s really what we go out and do each day, what we do in practice, what we do in the games. Talking about things and making declarations or saying this and that, it really is kind of meaningless.”
For the first time since Mat Ishbia took over as owner of the Suns and immediately shook the landscape of the NBA by trading for Kevin Durant, Phoenix enters the 2024-25 season with the same championship aspirations the team had a year ago, but without the chatter after being swept by Minnesota in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs.
And for the first time in nearly two seasons, with a new coach and bolstered roster, it’s not about the talk for the Suns, but the application.
Though Phoenix has frequently been hovering around the top seven in national media power rankings ahead of the season, a deep and competitive Western Conference has dimmed the spotlight aimed at the Suns. Las Vegas agrees, tagging Phoenix with just the ninth-best odds (+2000) to win the 2025 NBA Finals, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Nevertheless, this is what Budenholzer and the Suns want. Less talk, more basketball.
It’s a mindset that Durant has carried with him throughout his career – and something he’s glad Budenholzer prioritizes.
Jusuf Nurkić, who invited Mike Budenholzer to his training camp in Croatia, is focused on contributing to the Phoenix Suns’ faster pace and improved 3-point shooting this season. (Photo by Spencer Barnes/Cronkite News)
“I tried to tell people this my whole career, that talk is cheap,” Durant said. “For the most part, it’s about showing up and working hard. You can say all you want, but if you don’t come to work, then what does it matter?
“I’m glad Bud said that. That’s always been what I stand on. It’s going to be times when you need to speak up, but more times than not, you’re going to have to show it with your actions in this league. You can’t talk your way out of s— here. So, it’s good that a coach understands that.”
Last season, Phoenix was among the worst in the league in creating 3-point shots – ranked 25th in 3-point attempts per game (32.6) – despite ranking fifth in the league in 3-point shooting at 38.2%.
The focal point of this season from Budenholzer and the coaching staff has been revamping the offense beginning with firing more threes, a practice adopted by many of the top teams in the league.
Was that all talk? No. In the preseason, the Suns didn’t just give lip service to the new approach. They acted on it, ranking sixth in the league in 3-point attempts, launching 44.0 per game.
The offseason additions of true point guards like Tyus Jones and Monte Morris addressed a dire need for someone to control the flow of the game to free up Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Budenholzer tirelessly expressed how impactful the two guards would be for the success of their offense.
Was that all talk? Nope.
The Suns went from having a 99.00 pace rating last regular season to boasting a 103.15 pace in the preseason, a rating that would have ranked first in the league last season.
So far, the results are talking louder than the Suns or their coach.
“It’s kind of been hammered into me,” Budenholzer added. “That’s why I probably don’t love doing these (media) scrums. All this talk, the interviews and the questions; it really doesn’t matter.”
Talk is cheap. That message was clear for Nurkić when Budenholzer watched him train in a gym in Split, where the likes of former NBA stars Toni Kukoč and Peja Stojaković laid the foundation.
“I think he really put everything on the floor for us,” Nurkić said. “Accountability was something that I was big on, and he stands for those words. No matter who it is, starters, bench, whoever, he really holds people accountable.”
