In a recent appearance on “Tidal League,” NBA shooting guard Bradley Beal made a bold statement on his Phoenix Suns. According to Beal, his team could have finished first in the West had he managed to play more than 53 games last season.
“I missed 30 games and we won 49 games,” said Beal. “I ain’t saying we gonna win every damn game but if I play half of them games, we the number 1 seed in the West or at least competing for the number 1 seed in the West. Me missing 30, Book missed 10+, [Durant] missed 10-15.”
New team owner Matt Ishbia has committed from day one to maximize his team’s title odds and he has spared no expense to make his ambitions a reality. Mere days after taking over, he pulled off the trade for Kevin Durant, which was then followed by the trade for Beal that summer.
Together, the new “big three” in Phoenix were supposed to create a new dynasty in the West but they did not achieve the desired results last season. They finished 6th in the standings at 49-33, just two games over the Lakers, who were forced into the play-in tournament.
The Suns couldn’t win a single game in the playoffs and their loss in four games to the young and inexperienced Timberwolves was seen as a massive let-down by the fanbase. Going into this new season, the Suns are still unsure where it all went wrong and critics are struggling to believe they can turn it around.
While some say poor chemistry and roster construction is to blame, Beal believes injuries played a role and he’s not entirely wrong. Beal himself missed 29 games for the Suns and was seemingly a shell of himself on the court trying to play through various injuries. He averaged just 18.2 points per game on 51.3% shooting last season, his lowest mark since 2016.
Durant, who turned 36 in September, missed 7 games while Devin Booker missed 14. Those injuries coupled with injuries to the supporting cast made it a miserable season for the Suns and they were never able to find a spark when it mattered the most.
So when they came face-to-face with a young and big Timberwolves steam, it’s no wonder they were hopelessly outmatched. In that series, we saw the Suns completely exposed and they had no chance to make a lengthy postseason run.
Of course, with a healthy core, there’s no question the Suns could have won more games and possibly even challenged for the top seeds in the West. But now, their only focus is on this season and maximizing their performance to finish in the top three.
The key to success with this team will be health and durability. If their main players stay healthy for long enough, it will give them more than a fighting chance against the Western elites such as the Mavericks, Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The depth will also make a massive difference. As a team with so much talent at the top, it’s left a limited amount of space to build up the supporting cast and the Suns have had to get creative to fill out the rest of their roster.
This season will be a big test for the Suns and an opportunity for them to validate the sacrifices they’ve made to bring these stars together. Beal still believes they can succeed but the odds are admittedly stacked against them at this point in the season.
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