Head coach Mike Budenholzer made his first try to start star guard Bradley Beal in the second unit during Monday night’s game between the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers. The squad won 109-99 in the Wells Fargo Center, proving that the choice to shift the star was successful.
The best part of the evening was how the squad adjusted to having Beal lead the second unit. The star nearly played 30 minutes as Phoenix’s sixth man, he finished with 25 points, three rebounds, and four assists.
However, former Houston Rockets player Chandler Parsons believes that putting Beal on the bench could damage the star’s ego. Parsons addressed Phoenix’s situation on Monday’s “Run It Back.”
“It sounds good to say, ‘Oh, Beal, you could run the second unit’,” Parsons said. “But he thinks he can bust people in the first unit. He’s not a guy that’s gonna be, ‘Oh, you’re right. I can get off now, we’re going against the second unit’.”
“This is Bradley Beal we’re talking about. An All-Star, All-NBA type talent. He’s not gonna receive this well. But on the flip side, this is how coaches get fired if they don’t make splashes like this. And if for the small chance this does work and they go on a run now, Bud looks brilliant and Bud looks like a genius for having the nuts and for having the confidence to make this move.”
Sending Bradley Beal to the bench could make or break Mike Budenholzer’s tenure in Phoenix 😱 pic.twitter.com/icxzNThCQv
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 6, 2025
“It’s risky and it’s gonna ruffle some feathers and it’s gonna piss off these two guys for sure. No matter what they say to the media, this is an ego-blowing move but it’s needed.”
Suns’ head coach gave his reason behind the decision to bench Beal
Along with Beal, Suns head coach also opted to assign starting center Jusuf Nurkic on the bench. In place of the two starters, Bud put rookie Ryan Dunn and veteran center Mason Plumlee in the starting five with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Tyus Jones.
Before their game against the Sixers, NBA Insider Duane Rankin asked Bud the reason behind the benching of Beal and Nurkic.
“I think we just feel like we needed to make a change. Throughout a 48-minute game, you gotta figure out your best combinations, your best ways to try and have success,” Rankin said.
“They are two important players to us, two very good players for us, we just felt like we needed to make a change.”
"Feel like we needed to make a change. Throughout a 48-minute game, you got to figure out your best combinations, your best ways to try to have success. They're two important players to us, two very good players." Mike Budenholzer on Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic to bench. #Suns pic.twitter.com/OYwvnJBo2i
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 6, 2025
Bud claimed that he spoke to Beal and Nurkic. According to the coach, the two players wanted what was best for the team and were open to the decision to put them in the second unit.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
