Bradley Beal is having to exercise patience, easier said than done. Phoenix made a big offseason splash to acquire the three-time All-Star guard, who has only managed to suit up for three games with his new ball club this season and will be unavailable a little while longer as he recovers from a lower back strain – just one of the physical issues that he’s been dealing with since training camp.
Suns’ super trio must wait to play together
- Phoenix’s wait to field their star trio continues, given Kevin Durant and Devin Booker aren’t exactly injury-free superstars either – the latter has already missed eight regular season games this term with a calf complaint
- The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported last week that an “assortment of issues” have caused the 30-year-old discomfort and tightness in his back, having dealt with nerve irritation from his back down to his legs since sustaining the initial injury during Phoenix’s pre-season training camp
- Beal didn’t look himself and averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists after missing their first seven games under new head coach Frank Vogel. He will likely be sidelined for the next seven, and perhaps more
Availability is the best ability in the NBA and as far as Phoenix are concerned, it’s an unwanted start to life under Frank Vogel that they’ve been contending with injuries – two of their star trio – in Booker and offseason acquisition Bradley Beal.
The latter, 30, arrived in a trade package from Washington after what felt like a half-decade’s worth of speculation surrounding his long-term future and that of a franchise struggling to truly contend at the higher echelon in the Eastern Conference.
Suns supporters know they have Finals potential, having reached the summit in 2021 and flirted with another deep run during each of the last two seasons.
Adding Kevin Durant helped some the previous season, but it was abundantly clear he and Booker needed more consistent scoring help if they were going to sustain their regular season play in the playoffs especially after trading away two key pieces – Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson – sent to Brooklyn for Durant.
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Beal was listed on the injury report with back spasms and aggravated the problem on his return against Oklahoma City. It’ll now be a few weeks before Phoenix’s trio – all strong scorers in their own right – can begin meshing together as a unit.
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