5 Phoenix Suns who peaked in 2023-24

The Phoenix Suns went out with a whimper in 2023-24, and unfortunately these five players look to have peaked as well.

Boston Celtics v Phoenix Suns
Boston Celtics v Phoenix Suns | Chris Coduto/GettyImages
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2. Bradley Beal

This is a sad addition, because the Suns need Beal to be a borderline All-Star if they plan on reaching the levels that they hope to. But whereas he was something of an ironman with the Washington Wizards from 2017-2020, he was limited to 50 games in his final season in the nation's capital and 53 in his maiden outing with the Suns.

That is unfortunately an indicator of what is to come, and already it is more likely than not that Beal will never again play 70 games in a season. He is one of those players who always seems to have something happen to him that wouldn't other stars - such as a broken nose or a rolled ankle at the wrong time - both of which happened in 2023-24.

The other side of the coin here is that - as long as Beal is the third option in Phoenix - he's not going to hit the levels of before when he was the star of the show anyway. Being the best number three in the league is very much the plan for the Suns, but the combination of his role now and the injuries he continues to pick up means he has peaked.

His contract doesn't make this situation any easier, with some dubbing it "the most toxic contract in NBA history". That seems harsh, but it is hard to argue against. Depressingly this is also likely a case that Beal peaked before he ever got to The Valley, meaning he is further away from that point than ever, and will continue to slide.

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