Coach Budenholzer reportedly asked Devin Booker to be less vocal on court, in team huddles

Coaches are always looking for a “coach on the court” — a vocal leader who calls out defensive sets and switches and helps organize plays on the offensive end. Talking to teammates and being vocal is one of the hallmarks of good leadership in the NBA.

Which is why Devin Booker was reportedly “shocked” when Phoenix coach Mike Budenholzer asked Booker to be less vocal on the court, the coach fearing it was drowning out his own message. Chris Haynes had the report.

“I was told that weeks ago Mike Budenholzer called his star guard Devin Booker into his office to issue a complaint,” Haynes said. “That complaint, I’m told, was that Booker was being too vocal on the court and during timeout huddles. He implored his star guard to tone it down to let the coach’s voice be heard. This completely shocked Devin Booker.”

That report provided context for something Booker said Thursday night after the Suns’ loss to the Pelicans. Booker discussed the Suns’ failure to execute the game plan, which he said has “been the story of the season thus far.”

“It could be fixed with just a little bit more talking, things get tough, we get quiet as a team, and from my experience and from what I’ve seen, that’s not the way to get through it.”

Budenholzer was asked about this before the Suns returned the favor and beat the Pelicans on Friday night and played it all down.

The vibes around the 28-32 Suns are terrible, and this conversation fits right in with that. Phoenix has the highest payroll in the league but is on a path to missing even the play-in (Phoenix is three games back of current 10-seed Sacramento). Speculation about a Kevin Durant trade and other roster shakeups are being discussed around the league.

This conversation between Budenhozer and Booker is just more fuel for that fire.