Valley of the Suns
Fansided

3 goals for the Phoenix Suns’ Eastern Conference road trip

By Luke Duffy

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 02: Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns talks with Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs following the NBA game at Footprint Center on November 02, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Spurs defeated the Suns 132-121. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 02: Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns talks with Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs following the NBA game at Footprint Center on November 02, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Spurs defeated the Suns 132-121. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 26: Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 26: Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images) /

2. Get Bradley Beal on the court

It would be great to see Booker out there in some of these games. After all he was the best player on the court during an opening night win over the Golden State Warriors that also featured Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

But seeing Beal at any stage would be huge. This “back tweak” that he has been dealing with is an injury the Suns have been extremely cautious with. To hear Beal talk during the limited media availability he has had since the start of the regular season, he sounds like he could be out there playing right now if he really wanted to.

Backs are not ankles, and the organization are right to proceed with caution here. The plan is to have their “Big 3” firing on all cylinders next May, and if missing out on some regular season games in November achieves that goal, then so be it.

But the Suns need to balance this situation carefully, because they don’t want to do what the Lakers did last season and dig themselves into a regular season hole early that requires a ton of effort from their superstars to get them out of. So seeing Beal on the court, even on a minutes restriction, would be huge.

It would also be interesting to see how Durant and Beal worked together, assuming Booker is unable to play. Beal has scored over 30 points per game twice in his career, and he would provide a new dimension to the offensive play of the team. Most of the role players have stepped up early in the season, but they can’t do with Beal can on a nightly basis, and the Suns need that right now.

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