It’s rather remarkable that a player of the Phoenix Suns 3x All-Star Bradley Beal‘s quality and caliber, spent the first 11 years of his NBA career in almost borderline inconspicuousness and discreet fashion. His skill, talent, scoring, etc., were all on display, but the Washington Wizards were anything but. Since his move to Phoenix, things have not gone smoothly for Beal. However, it would appear that he may have turned a small corner this season.
Suns 3x All-Star Reflects on ‘Funky’ Year One in Phoenix
Suns 3x All-Star Bradley Beal Opens Up on Challenging 2023-24 Season
Amid a season averaging 17.8 PPG and shooting a solid 38.3% from three, Beal recently opened up to Fred Katz of The Athletic, where he talked about his first season in Phoenix playing alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. It was a major career shift, considering that, up until that point, he had spent his entire career in Washington. In that time, he and John Wall—whom Beal teamed up with as one of the league’s better backcourts at the time—made the playoffs just five times in 11 years. Each playoff berth resulted in an exit no later than the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Those were the early days of Beal’s All-Star level basketball. Eventually, Wall’s play and health declined, and he exited Washington. Beal, in turn, was given his own exit in a trade with the Suns in 2023.
The coming-together trio of Beal, Durant, and Booker turned many heads inside and outside the NBA, and expectations were high. However, that first year was a disappointment not only for the Suns but also for Beal.
“I was in a funk (last season),” Beal said. “Not gonna lie, I was in a funk. We didn’t love it as a team (last season), the dynamic we had — we didn’t have a (point guard), which everybody crucified us on. It was tough. It was very tough. Everybody was kinda out of position last year, not necessarily what made them who they are.”
Apart from his injuries (he missed 29 games), Beal’s point about the non-existence of a point guard was detrimental to the Suns that season. Chris Paul, who was part of the trade for Beal, was obviously not there anymore, and the Suns failed to fill that hole.
A Different Team Altogether
There are just some players you feel for when it comes to their continuous injuries that take them away from the game they love and that fans love to watch. Beal is a perfect candidate for this scenario. He has always carried himself professionally, even in all those years in Washington. Not only is he a gifted basketball player, but he gives the vibe that he’s genuinely a super nice guy. For these reasons and others, watching him sit more than play over recent years has been disappointing.
The Suns are 9-3 on the season and playing good basketball. Beal is in his second season in Phoenix, and he hopes things will look a lot different this year. He’s missed three games already. In the games he has played, he’s averaging 34 minutes in a significant role for the team. Regarding a point guard, the Suns went out and added Tyus Jones to fill that spot, which has proven to be effective thus far. Phoenix already looks better and more in tune with each other. When KD returns from injury, Phoenix could spend the rest of the season jockeying for top seeding in the West. As for Beal, let’s hope this year is void of any funkiness—and for a generally injury-free season.
