The Phoenix Suns have continued their post All-Star break pace in the Western Conference, going 2-2 since returning to action. That has seen them remain in the fifth spot, and they have achieved this without the help of Bradley Beal.
The guard sitting out the last five games as a result of the hamstring issue that limited him to five minutes in a win over the Sacramento Kings in the middle of February. Head coach Frank Vogel had always remained coy when speaking to the media about when Beal would return, but there didn't ever appear to be a lot of concern either.
Now with two of the team's next three games on national television, Beal's status has been updated to probable ahead of a meeting with the Houston Rockets.
This will be the third time in four games that the sides have met, with both teams taking a game in the last eight days. Beal's potential return coming at just the right time to give his side a boost, with both Kevin Durant and Devin Booker also in nice midseason form. With Bol Bol continuing to give a nice boost, now seemed like the time for Beal to try out the hamstring.
Bradley Beal (hamstring) getting in some shooting pregame. Nothing too high-intensity, but more than just spot shooting with dribble pull-ups, coming around curls, popping out to the corners, etc. pic.twitter.com/5pljQu1YnS
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) February 25, 2024
As coach Vogel told Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic during media availability recently;
"You’ve got to test it out as much of game speed as you can. These pick-up games are not really NBA intensity, but it’s the closest thing to it. Being able to come through that pain free is a real positive sign."Frank Vogel
So we know Beal is currently participating in pickup games pain free, and the next logical step is to get back out on the court. After the game against the Rockets, the Suns will be on national TV against both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets, two huge tests that will tell this franchise a lot about how close to contention they really are.
Having Beal back in the rotation for these tests is great - because as we examined recently - there has been a lot to like since he joined the organization last summer. Unfortuantely for the Suns, Beal has only played in 30 games all season. Great as it is to see him back, the smart money would be on him missing some time again, ahead of what it is hoped will be an extended postseason run.