Key storylines: Which coach will have the biggest impact on his new team?

Mike Budenhozler needs to form a talented star trio in his first season with the Suns.

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We're counting down 24 key storylines for the 2024-25 NBA season. Our senior analysts will analyze a new topic each day as we help you prepare for opening night on October 22nd.

Here's the plot No. 13:

Mike Budenholzer, JJ Redick or Kenny Atkinson? Which coach will give his new team the biggest boost?

Short answer: Mike Budenholzer, Phoenix.

But before we delve into the meaning and methods of Boost, let's explain why we're focusing on these three before a season begins with seven new coaches.

Jordi Fernandez (Brooklyn), Charles Lee (Charlotte), JB Bickerstaff (Detroit) and Brian Keefe (Washington, official since May) have teams further along in their life cycle. Chasing a record close to .500 would be considered an improvement, but that's not the needle we want to see moved.

It's better to focus on the three organizations that made the 2024 playoffs and return with higher expectations. Even then, “Boost” can be broken down into more than one direction.

The team that can improve the most is the Lakers. Despite their solid 47-35 record, they finished eighth in the rugged West and had to advance through the SoFi Play-In Tournament, only to be beaten (again) by the Denver Nuggets in five games. Climbing into the top six and winning a playoff round would be a boost for which Redick would receive considerable credit.

After all, little has changed on the Lakers' roster. They've added what could be a real distraction on the Bron Bronny reality show, but that could be quickly resolved if the younger James can a) play and earn the minutes and roles he gets, or b ) spends most of the season in the NBA G League and Riding Pine.

And even though Redick is a newbie to coaching, role models like Larry Bird and Jason Kidd (to name just two) had quick successes. Redick wasn't their equal player, but he also knows the game. The key will be whether LeBron has his back all year.

Meanwhile, dropping out of the first round would mean nothing to the Cavaliers and their fans. That was the wall they hit against Boston, a five-game loss in the East semifinals that cost Bickerstaff his job in Cleveland. The Cavs need to go one step further and at least reach the Eastern Conference Finals to demonstrate their improvement.

The good news for them is that the core of this team is ready. The players have the talent and know the mission. They had a few test runs. Now if Donovan Mitchell can consistently execute on the superstar status he deserves, if Evan Mobley can close the gap to get closer to the projections he arrived with, and if Jarrett Allen and the rest can stay healthier, has Atkinson has the experience to achieve this.

Still, Budenholzer would have the greatest influence. The Suns were the most disappointing of the three teams, winning 49 games and being defeated by the Minnesota Timberwolves. They never fully showcased the talents of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, largely because they played so little together (863 minutes). All three are All-NBA caliber and are in the game this season because of their reputations and legacies.

This is a good starting point for any coach. Budenholzer, a two-time Coach of the Year and the only one of those three to win an NBA championship as a coach, has already adapted and found success. He will have a strong starting point guard in newcomer Tyus Jones to add some order to the Phoenix offense. Jusuf Nurkic can build on some of the strong defensive traits that made Brook Lopez valuable in Milwaukee. The Suns' biggest task will be finding a reliable bench rotation.

The lack of performance last season should be exactly what Phoenix and their new coach need to make it through at least two rounds. That's a pretty big boost.

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Steve Aschburner has been writing about the NBA since 1980. You can email him here his archive here And Follow him on X.

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