As has so often been the case this season, the Phoenix Suns have recently gone on the kind of run that has quietened a lot of the negative noise surrounding this group. Make no mistake however, bad losses to the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks before the current three-game winning streak have shown us exactly where this Suns team is at right now.
On their night they can beat anybody in the league - it is just that more often than not - that night doesn't make an appearance. Rather, a loss to an opponent that the Suns look like they can beat has been the more regular occurrence.
One of the main reasons for the Suns' struggles this season has been their turnover issues, but could Bradley Beal as the team's point guard be the solution that was there all along?
Head coach Frank Vogel has all season stated that not only do the Suns not need a true point guard on this roster, but that Beal and Devin Booker between them were more than enough each night to handle and create for this group.
The 10-day addition of Isaiah Thomas was a nice story, but coach Vogel was quick to point out that he would not suddenly have the ball in hand in critical possessions. Or you know, ever. With Beal injured for nearly half of the regular season - the onus was on Booker to be the point guard - and he duly obliged. But what if Beal running the show more was the key to success here?
Bradley Beal assist-to turnover last 6 games:
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 24, 2024
at Celtics: 7 assists, 3 turnovers.
at Hornets: 7 assists, 2 turnovers.
at Bucks: 7 assists, 3 turnovers.
vs. 76ers: 7 assists, 5 turnovers.
vs. Hawks: 9 assists, 5 turnovers.
at Spurs: 12 assists, 1 turnover.
Total: 49 to 19. #Suns pic.twitter.com/YltjZ4ez1v
Now that Beal is healthy and has had a run of games next to Booker and Kevin Durant, he has found his spot in the offensive flow of this group. He knows he is the third option on any given night - and the fourth if Grayson Allen is on fire as he has been so many times this season - and the beauty of Beal is that he has accepted and attempted to succeed in that role.
But more recently he has handled the ball more than usual, thanks in part to lineup shuffles from coach Vogel that have seen the Suns go jumbo (during the second quarter especially), with Beal often entrusted with setting Durant, Bol Bol and Jusuf Nurkic up while Booker takes a breather. That is beginning to have a positive impact on the team, as the above graphic illustrates.
In the last six games, Beal has 49 assists to 19 turnovers. In that same timeframe, the Suns rank 20th in turnovers per game, at 14.7. Which is not a good place to be, but it is that bit better than the 25th (14.9) they have ranked on the season as a whole, and Beal's ability to take care of the basketball more than his teammates has been the reason why.
It is easy to forget now - but with John Wall both injured and the departed from the Washington Wizards in the past - Beal has spent time before as the floor general for an organization. Not one that is trying to embark on a deep playoff run, but then again he never had teammates of the talent level of Booker or Durant when he was in Washington either.
If Beal can stay healthy and continue to take more of the playmaking from Booker - even a 70/30 split come the postseason - the Suns are going to be the better team for it. Booker is one of the 10 best scorers in the league, last season he led the entire NBA in scoring in the playoffs at 33.7 points per game.
Durant is maybe the best scorer of all-time, and so if both of them can focus more on putting the ball in the basket and not helping guys like Allen, Eric Gordon and Royce O'Neale do the same thing, surely only good things are going to happen for the Suns. This is all because of Beal's ball-handling and taking care of the basketball, and it has come at the perfect time in the season for this group.