The case for Bradley Beal starting for the Suns next season

Make no mistake, the job new Phoenix Suns' head coach Mike Budenholzer has on his hands next season is an extremely difficult one. The Arizona native might be delighted to have gotten the job, but the hard work has already started in trying to turn this franchise into a legitimate contender.

Armed with three stars and an improved supporting cast - finally featuring some young legs through the NBA Draft - it will be on coach Budenholzer to improve on the zero postseason wins this team managed in 2023-24, all while working under a two year window. No pressure then.

Perhaps the most pressing question for coach Bud is if Bradley Beal starts or comes off the bench - but really - this shouldn't even be a question.

That's because there is no way Beal should be coming off the bench for this group, unless he is coming back from injury. Given that he played only 53 regular season games for that reason in his first season in The Valley, keeping the 31-year-old fresh would appear to be the main reason to entertain this.

But the Suns didn't commit $160 million across the next three seasons to a player just to bring them off the bench for 25 minutes each night. In fact trying to label Beal as the best sixth man in the league is insulting to a guy who didn't miss a regular season game between 2017-19 with the Washington Wizards.

If you actually watched the Suns last season, then you'd also know that Beal was their best player down the stretch of a campaign that somehow ended up bringing 49 wins. Yes the playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves was a disaster, but it would be a stretch to lay all of the blame on Beal.

He could have played better - but so could everybody - and he actually did a nice job of figuring out his role as the third option on this roster by the time the playoffs started. Yes 16.5 points and 4.5 assists in the postseason was unacceptable. But Beal was also trying to split the playmaking duties alongside Devin Booker, and it was an experiment that never really took off.

Beal is never going to get minutes over franchise cornerstone Booker, but the introduction of a true point guard in Monte Morris helps. With Morris coming off the bench, the Suns are sure to sometimes have both Booker and Beal out there alongside him. On other occasions again, it'll be Morris and Beal while Booker is on the bench.

This will allow both stars to go back to being the pure scorers we know they can be. Speaking of, Beal has on two occasions in his career put up over 30 points per game. Those days aren't coming back, but to say Beal is washed would be flat wrong as well. His body is breaking down - there is no denying that - but there's an elite player there when healthy.

Which hits on the main argument for Beal's continued inclusion with the starters. The nature of this roster is such that - after Beal, Booker and Kevin Durant - the drop-off in talent is significant. Grayson Allen is cool and all, but he did just go missing in the playoffs when needed the most. Royce O'Neale is another solid player, but better than Beal and starting over him? Come on.

The fact is the Suns are one of the few teams left in the league that deploy a three stars formula, with most others going for two stars and better depth around them. That way of thinking has been more successful - but with the Suns having leaned heavily into their roster construction - the only way they can win is if their three stars outplay everybody together. Beal needs to start to accomplish this goal.