The Phoenix Suns witnessed dramatic failure during the 2023-2024 season due to the excessive use of isolation plays. Mike Budenholzer, who has been brought on as the team’s new head coach, has made drastic changes to the Suns’ system from last year. Players are now required to move the ball around more than they previously did.
Advertisement
However, Kevin Durant seems to be struggling to adopt the new directives. He hilariously quipped on his Instagram stories how he’s been fighting his inner demons to stop himself from attempting his signature “hesi pull-up”.
Durant posted a clip from Spider Man: No Way Home, where the Green Goblin is trying to convince Willem Dafoe’s character in the movie to give in to his evil side. KD wanted to say that he usually experiences a similar kind of conflict when he has to pass the ball more instead of shooting.
Instead of using his patented move – a hesi pullup from the three-point range or a mid-range jumper – as frequently as he did, the 6ft 11” now has to force himself to pass the rock. “How the hezi pullup be talking to me when I’m tryna play good team basketball,” the reel on Durant’s IG Story read.
KD’s got a good sense of humor about the shooting more 3s thing lol pic.twitter.com/TGFtTuDJGt
— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) October 13, 2024
The hesi pull-up instantly became Durant’s signature move when he joined the league. Due to a combination of good handles, accurate shooting, and a high release point (9ft 2”), KD has witnessed success when using this move.
During the 2023-2024 season, the Slim Reaper attempted 9.4 pull-up jumpers per game. The 2014 MVP was efficient in connecting 36.2% of them despite the shot being fairly difficult to execute.
However, the league has changed significantly now. Teams rely more on making open threes to win games. A contested pull-up jumper is a comparatively less efficient shot. Therefore, he now has to limit himself from using this move.
This simple strategy has already benefitted the Arizona side.
KD and Co. averaged 27 assists per game during the previous campaign. They’ve already witnessed a considerable increase in assists (29 assists per game) through the first four preseason games.
For context – the Suns were tied at #12 for assists per game in the league. The Suns would climb seven spots on the same list with this improved figure.
Budenholzer is also instructing his players to attempt more three-pointers. Even with the roster being filled with talented shooters, the Suns were 25th in 3PA (32.6 per game) during the previous season. Budenholzer’s instant impact is evident yet again. The squad has attempted 45.8 shots per game from beyond the arc this preseason.
These stats suggest that the Suns are looking for different ways to improve. We could see PHX finally perform like the powerhouses that they were always hyped to be.
