Six teams in the NBA brought in a new head coach ahead of the 2024-25 season. Out of those teams, there aren’t any others that are facing more expectations than the Phoenix Suns. Following back-to-back seasons finalizing blockbuster deals for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, they’ve fallen short in the postseason.
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In the first round of the 2024 playoffs, the Suns suffered an embarrassing sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. They made roster changes and fired their previous head coach, Frank Vogel. Their improved coaching staff has the potential to bring out the team’s full strength and have the resume to do so.
Mike Budenholzer – Head coach
The new face at the helm of the coaching staff in Phoenix is Mike Budenholzer. A former mentee of Gregg Popovich and the Spurs coaching tree, Budenholzer is one of the great minds in basketball.
Budenholzer’s head coaching experience spans between two teams. He spent five seasons respectively with the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks. He famously led the Bucks to a title in the 2020-21 season, beating the Suns. His arrival could serve as atonement to the Suns’ faithful for snatching away what could’ve been the franchise’s first championship.
Mike Hopkins – Assistant coach
The 2024-25 season is set to be Mike Hopkins’ first experience of coaching in the NBA. Although this will be Hopkins’ first taste of the NBA, he’s been involved in the realm of coaching for quite some time.
Between 1995-2017, Hopkins served as a crucial member of the Syracuse Orange basketball program. He began specializing in recruiting and assisting the development of guards. However, Hopkins was chosen to become the successor of Jim Boeheim at Syracuse. That didn’t come to fruition, as Hopkins accepted an offer to become head coach at the University of Washington in 2017.
Vince Legarza – Assistant coach
The 2024-25 season will make Vince Legarza’s first season with the Suns. However, this isn’t the first time he’s been a part of Budenholzer’s coaching staff. Legarza served as a player development coach with the Hawks from 2013 to 2015 and an assistant coach with the Bucks from 2022 to ’24.
Legarza has a knack for player development. Most notably, he worked very closely with Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves in 2015.
Chaisson Allen – Assistant coach
Similarly to Mike Hopkins, Chaisson Allen is entering his first season as a member of an NBA coaching staff. However, he and Budenholzer have ties stemming from Milwaukee.
In 2019, Allen served as an assistant coach for the Wisconsin Herd, the G-League affiliate of the Bucks. Shortly after, in 2021, the Herd hired Allen as the team’s head coach. He served with Herd until Budenholzer’s offer to join him on the Suns.
Chad Forcier – Assistant coach
The 2024-25 season will mark the third official stint in which Chad Forcier and Mike Budenholzer have served on the same coaching staff. The two spent the majority of their early career with the Spurs. Eventually, in 2019, the two reunited with the Bucks. Forcier and Budenholzer’s chemistry has resulted in two championships together (2014 and 2021).
David Fizdale – Assistant coach
One of the more notable names on the Suns coaching staff, David Fizdale, is the only assistant coach with NBA head coaching experience. Fizdale’s most notable work as an assistant came with the Miami Heat from 2008 to 2016. He helped guide the franchise to two titles in 2012 and 2013.
Between 2016 and 2020, Fizdale served as the head coach for the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks. He spent two seasons with each franchise and was fired in the second season with each team. Moreover, Fizdale served as an assistant coach under Frank Vogel’s tenure with the Suns and returns under Budenholzer.
Brent Barry – Assistant coach
The 2024-25 campaign will mark Brent Barry’s first season as a professional basketball coach. Formerly, he spent 14 seasons in the NBA as a player. Four of those years came under Budenholzer with the Spurs.
Additionally, before accepting the offer to join the Suns, Barry served in the front office scene of the NBA. In 2018, Barry joined the Spurs as the vice president of basketball operations. Barry and Budenholzer won two championships together and will want to do the same with the Suns.
Schuyler Rimmer – Assistant coach
Schuyler Rimmer received his first experience in the NBA under Mike Budenholzer and the Bucks. The franchise hired him in 2018. He served as a video coordinator and player development coach at the time. Rimmer worked very closely with Bucks superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In 2022, Rimmer joined Darvin Ham’s coaching staff with the Lakers. His decision to join the Suns reunites him with the coach who gave him his first opportunity in the NBA.
