Valley of the Suns
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3 goals for Bradley Beal’s return to the Suns’ lineup

By Luke Duffy

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 26: Devin Booker #1 and Bradley Beal #3 of the Phoenix Suns follow the action from the bench during the first half against Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on October 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. 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 Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 26: Devin Booker #1 and Bradley Beal #3 of the Phoenix Suns follow the action from the bench during the first half against Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on October 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. 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 Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 02: Bradley Beal of the Phoenix Suns. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 02: Bradley Beal of the Phoenix Suns. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

1. Become more of a playmaker

It has been well documented that the Suns are lacking a true point guard this season, and so far that has been proven correct. Jordan Goodwin does what he can in the minutes allotted to him, but he is far from an elite playmaker. Booker can be just that for this team, but he has to be on the court to have an impact.

Beal isn’t exactly an underrated playmaker, but his abilities in this area may be getting slept on. His career high for assists in a season is 6.6, and he is used to making things happen for himself going back to his time with Washington. So coming in as more of a facilitator right away would be a new wrinkle for coach Vogel to use to hurt opponents.

Next. 3 Suns players whose stock has skyrocketed. dark

It would also get Durant off the ball that bit more, which would allow him to get back to being the devastating scorer that he is. Having Beal set up his teammates more than we are used to seeing would also give the Suns a better fallback option if Booker isn’t playing. Beal could then in theory be slotted to the one, and play next to Allen or Yuta Watanabe, two fantastic 3-point shooters.

Asking Beal to be a better and more willing passer and to run some offensive sets from the top of the key may seem like a large ask next to also insisting he scores 20 points a night right away. Then again, if you want to win a first championship, the Suns are going to need their “Big 3” to be as big as possible. No matter what though, getting Beal back is a massive positive for the Suns.

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