Ahead of the 2023/24 season, the Phoenix Suns are expected to become a force in the NBA. However, up to now, they only have a record of 12 wins – 10 losses and are in the middle of the Western rankings.
The biggest reason comes from the fact that their trio of superstars, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, have not yet played a match together. Among them, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal have often suffered different injuries since the beginning of the 2023/24 season.
However, this will soon change, as Bradley Beal is recovering and will soon return from his back injury, which has limited him to only 3 matches for the Phoenix Suns since the beginning of the season.
Bradley Beal brings a flexible solution to the Phoenix Suns’ offense
In the previous 3 matches, Bradley Beal all had unconvincing performances. However, anyone who is observant will realize that this player is still tormented by a back injury. Therefore, Beal had to take some more time off to fully recover.
When at his best, Bradley Beal is one of the top offensive players in the NBA. Beal can score points in many different positions, as well as play somewhat stably in the role of running without the ball. Last season, Bradley Beal was in the top 10 best players in the league in terms of ability to threaten the basket area. In several friendly matches at the beginning of the season, Beal demonstrated this ability when given the opportunity to play.
Crossover, hesi and a dime 😲
Brad Beal making it look easy!
📺 Suns and Trail Blazers are live on NBA TV pic.twitter.com/hHc47VPtzs
— NBA (@NBA) October 17, 2023
Besides, Bradley Beal is the type of player who can score points under high pressure. With the Phoenix Suns, they only had 6 wins in 14 intense matches. Meanwhile, Bradley Beal shot 59.7% and 44.4% at the 3-point line last season in the final 5-minute period last season.
Bradley Beal will help relieve pressure on Kevin Durant and Devin Booker
Up to now, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are among the players with the most matches in the NBA. Kevin Durant is the 5th most played player in the tournament, while Devin Booker ranks 30th. Therefore, the pressure on this duo is huge, causing them to often lose their physical strength in important matches.
Coach Frank Vogel tried hard to lighten the load on both, often assigning them to supporting squads to have at least one person on the field. Both Durant and Booker have the ability to score scary points to help the Phoenix Suns maintain a gap with their opponents at times that are not too important. However, the Suns still lack a scoring option that can give them an advantage over their opponents.
Phoenix Suns stats with and without Kevin Durant and Devin Booker ( PBPStats )
Player on the fieldTotal minutesPoint difference per 100 ball situationsKevin Durant, Devin Booker2298.5Devin Booker2215.9Kevin Durant4683.6Both of them take a break153-19.9
It can be seen that the Phoenix Suns were in big trouble when both Kevin Durant and Devin Booker went on vacation.
Bradley Beal will be a perfect solution for coach Frank Vogel’s army. Not only does he provide terrifying scoring ability, Beal’s breakthrough ability also helps other Phoenix Suns players have more space. Besides, the remaining players can also focus more on defensive tasks.
Bradley Beal won’t improve the Phoenix Suns’ defense
However, the return of Bradley Beal will certainly not improve the Phoenix Suns’ defense. In the 2023/24 season, Suns ranked 19th/30 teams in defense ability. The Suns have rarely turned the tide when behind, partly because of their poor defense this season.
Although the remaining players can focus on defense to support the superstars, in reality, this still leaves certain gaps. Bradley Beal is also not a good player on defense, based on what he has shown in the Washington Wizards shirt.
The Phoenix Suns’ poor defensive ability was predicted before, when they were determined to bring back three superstars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal to the same squad. Therefore, Suns will have to focus on the attack front and race for points compared to their opponents if they want to win. If all three superstars are healthy, the Suns will be able to overwhelm any opponent.
