Mike Budenholzer has surprising plan for Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal

We can trust that Mike Budenholzer is the guy for the job.

But whether we can trust him is mostly irrelevant because we can’t hoop. (I mean, I’ve probably got a better jumper than you, but that’s not gonna cut it in the NBA, amirite?).

All that matters is whether Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal trust him, and I think they should. Budenholzer has coached big-name players from David Robinson to Giannis Antetokounmpo. He knows how the relationship works best.

“(It starts with) building a relationship with them, showing that you genuinely care about them,” Budenholzer said at his introductory news conference as Suns head coach Friday at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix.

“And then I would say coaching them, like coach ’em hard. That’s what I’ve seen for all of my NBA life. I’m certainly trying to do it as a head coach. I’m not perfect, but my experience is, you’ve got to coach your best players.

“You’ve got to coach ’em hard. You’ve got to demand of them. You’ve got to have high expectations for them, and usually, they thrive. That’s part of what makes them great. They want to be coached. They want it. That’s been my observation. That’s kind of my mentality going into this.”

Oddly, Budenholzer’s approach calls for treating star players and planetary players similarly.

“The most important thing with all the players on our roster is to build a relationship with them. Show them … you care about their family. You care about things that are going on in their life. And you care about making them the best basketball player that they can become.”

Sounds like all a player would ever want, no matter how many accolades show up on their basketball card or how many zeroes are in their paycheck.

“I think the great ones want to get better,” Budenholzer said. “They’re not content. They’re not happy with where they are. They want to keep getting better.”

Budenholzer was a longtime assistant coach in San Antonio under Gregg Popovich. He was there as Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker became Hall of Famers.

More recently, as Milwaukee Bucks head coach, Budenholzer helped Giannis become the face of the league.

Most importantly, Budenholzer helped all these guys become champions, so he has credibility that few others can match.

Certainly, he’s the most accomplished coach Booker and Beal have ever had.

And Durant should accept what Bud passes his way, too. KD has been through way too many coaches in recent years, but he never seemed to have a problem working with Steve Kerr.

So, it’s easy to trust the vision in Budenholzer’s telescope as he examines this constellation of Suns. It’s as good as any group he’s had.

“We have some great players in Devin, Kevin and Brad,” Budenholzer said. “They’re big time.”

I’ll spare you the X-and-O talk about ATOs and hammer screens and misdirection plays and Iverson cuts and pin downs and off-ball action, just know that Budenholzer has some ideas for how to get the most out of the Big Three.

“I’m going to have high expectations of them,” Budenholzer said. “I’m gonna coach ’em. I’m gonna hold ’em accountable. That’s what I want to do with everybody. It’s not any different. That’s been my roadmap for coaching, whether it’s the best players or the entire roster.”

It might seem counterintuitive, but he’s going to treat the best of his players a lot like the rest of his players. It should make for a dangerous team.

We can trust Budenholzer, but most importantly Booker, Durant and Beal can trust him, too.

There’s a lot of work to be done, but maybe by this time next year, the Suns will still be playing.

For now, let’s just trust that Budenholzer is the guy for the job.

Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @SayingMoore.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mike Budenholzer has a plan for Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Brad Beal