Phoenix Suns guard/forward Bradley Beal has been dealing with right elbow soreness for the past four games, but that hasn’t stopped his teammates from speaking highly on what he brings to the table.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Starting the season 5-1, the Suns narrowly beat the Portland Trail Blazers 103-97 on Saturday where Beal finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. The three-time NBA All-Star shot 5-for-13 (38.5%) from the field and 3-for-8 (37.5%) from three.
He has been in and out of the lineup since he was traded by the Washington Wizards and arriving in Phoenix. Beal missed 29 games in his first season as a Sun last year and has been questionable ever since he got tangled up against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second game of the season on Oct. 25.
Returning to face Portland and making an impact in his nearly 34 minutes of game time, Beal was spoken highly of by Devin Booker after the victory.
“Brad is the heart of this team, so to have him out there and to have his energy out there, it’s always needed. He’s still vocal when he is on the bench but it is a different dynamic when he is out on the court with us,” Booker said. “I saw him grab it (his elbow) after his last free throw, so it may be still bothering him. Just got to get him right, get him back and get going.”
So far this season, the Missouri native is averaging 17.3 points, 4.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 35.8 minutes per game. With Devin Booker moving back to shooting guard and Kevin Durant remaining at power forward this year, Beal has slotted between the two and is proving his worth when healthy.
Beal is shooting at a 40.7 % clip from three, which is the third-highest percentage of his 13-year career. Making smart decisions with the ball, he has a career-low of 1.3 turnovers per game.
Defending against some of the best players in the league on a game-by-game basis, Beal brings much more intangibles that don’t show up on the stat sheet than he is credited for. He isn’t afraid of sharing the ball, will guard anyone if given the chance, uses his court vision effectively and is aware of who is around him.
Someone who has brought up parts of Beal’s game that will help the Suns win basketball games going forward is Grayson Allen. No matter how many points he scores, Allen recognizes Beal’s impact in other areas people won’t praise him enough for.
“Brad does a ton of little things out there, even like it was their (Portland’s) last possesion or second to last possession by getting a huge rebound and boxing out DA (Deandre Ayton). A lot of times he’s on the point of attack defender, and he’s takes on the challenge and he’s really good guarding the ball,” Allen said. “He makes extra plays, he hustles and driving, finding open guys.
“He’s had this probably for his whole career with his reputation for being a 3-point scorer and before I got here last year, that was was kind of what I knew him as. He does so many little things out there that contributes to us being a good team and a winning team that don’t really show up and people might not notice unless you are watching all of our games. He’s a huge part of our success and he gets it going. Whether he has 30 or a solid 20, he is always doing those other things.”
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, Suns and ASU Athletics for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
