The Phoenix Suns envisioned they could have already witnessed a few tantalizing developments at this point in the season.
They wanted to see how a Big 3 featuring Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker played together. They hoped to evaluate how well each player could sacrifice their games without diminishing their talent. And they wished to observe whether their role players gave their stars enough depth.
None of those developments have happened nearly a quarter into the 2023-24 NBA season. That’s because Beal, Durant, and Booker have not played a single regular-season game together amid overlapping injuries. Beal has also missed the past 12 games because of a lower back injury.
Should the Suns feel concerned?
“It’s just an early-season bump in the road,” Phoenix coach Frank Vogel said. “We expect Brad to be back and for those guys to be on the floor a ton together when the time comes, not before. When it gets there, it’s going to be great.”
That time has finally gotten here.
The Suns (12-10) expect Beal to play against the Golden State Warriors (10-12) in limited minutes tonight after ramping up individual and group workouts this past week, as the Arizona Republic first reported.
Phoenix Suns players nursing other injuries
Beal completed a pre-game workout last week before the Suns’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals last week; he practiced with the team without restrictions last Thursday and this past Sunday and Monday.
“I’ve been in his situation, and it’s not easy,” Booker said. “All you want to be able to do is be out on the court. You want to get there fast. But he’s taking his time. I think that’s all he needed – a little bit of time to get right.”
Incidentally, Beal’s awaited debut coincides with the Suns nursing other ailments.
Suns guard Grayson Allen will miss his third consecutive game after suffering a strain in his right groin during last week’s game against the Lakers. The Suns listed Durant as questionable against the Warriors after missing the past two contests with a sprained left ankle.
Durant showed discomfort in the second half of last week’s game against the Lakers, but he remained productive throughout the game. Afterward, Durant walked around the locker room without needing any assistance or any signs of discomfort.
“I just think the adrenaline and the intensity from the game kept me going. But I definitely felt it as I was getting dressed,” Durant said. “I’m sure I’ll feel it [later]. That’s sports, man. We have a training staff that is going to help me out.”
Maybe so. Nonetheless, the Suns’ developments in the past week encapsulated how they have spent the season managing a crowded trainer’s room instead of accelerating on-court chemistry with their three stars.
What do expect from the Phoenix Suns with Bradley Beal in the lineup
Before injuring his lower back, Beal appeared in three games, averaging 17.3 points on low shooting marks from the field (39.1%) and 3-point range (33.3%), along with 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
Durant played in all three of those games with Beal on Nov. 8 against Chicago (25 points on 7-for-16 shooting, nine assists, seven rebounds, six turnovers), Nov. 10 against the Lakers (38 points on 13-for-27 shooting, nine rebounds, five assists, four turnovers) and Nov. 12 against Oklahoma City (28 points on 7-for-18 shooting, nine rebounds, four assists).
However, Booker missed all three of those games while nursing a sprained left ankle.
“We’ve had a different lineup too often this year,” Vogel said before laughing to offer levity over the tough circumstances. That will happen once again when Beal plays on Tuesday and for whenever Durant returns.
At that point, the Suns will see how well their three ball-dominant stars can coexist. Though Durant, Booker and Beal played together in two exhibition games, the Suns can hardly draw any conclusions from that sample size.
Incidentally, though, the Suns don’t harbor as many concerns about integrating Beal as when the Clippers acquired James Harden earlier this season.
They don’t have distinguishable skillsets as other historically significant trios, including the Miami Heat (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh), the Cleveland Cavaliers (James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love) and the Boston Celtics (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen).
According to the Suns, Durant, Beal and Booker represented three of only seven players last season to have averaged at least 23 points on 49% shooting from the field and 35% from 3-point range, and five assists per game.
The other four? Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving.
Yet, Durant, Beal and Booker have thrived well with other teammates with ball-handling duties.
Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal’s previous success
Durant helped the Warriors win two NBA titles with two Finals MVP performances while allowing Stephen Curry and Draymond Green to remain the team’s primary playmakers.
In one NBA Finals and two second-round playoff appearances, Booker thrived as an off-ball scorer and additional playmaker to complement veteran Chris Paul. Last season, Durant, Booker and Paul played on and off the ball without complaint last season.
The Suns lost in the second round to Denver more because of the Nuggets’ dominance, Deandre Ayton’s inconsistency and a diminished bench.
Meanwhile, Beal became a three-time All-Star in Washington (2012-23) while coexisting with John Wall (2010-20) and Russell Westbrook (2020-21) just fine.
This season, the Suns have become even more pleased with how Durant and Booker have played under Vogel after replacing Monty Williams as head coach.
As he has climbed to No. 10 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, Durant ranks third in the NBA in scoring (31 points per game) while shooting efficiently from the field (52.1%) and from deep (50%).
Booker fares fifth in the NBA in free-throw shooting (91.6%), made a game-winning three against New York (Nov. 26) and recorded 30-point performances in the first three games of the season.
“Kev is going to shoot a really high percentage on open looks, and Devin has the ability to generate wide-open looks,” Vogel said. “That’s the biggest thing. But those two guys really do have great chemistry with one another on the floor and off the floor. It’s been a good pairing and great fit. They definitely look for each other.”
The Suns still rank seventh in the Western Conference without their Big 3 for other reasons. They have praised Durant and Booker for buying into Vogel’s emphasis on defense. Eric Gordon (14.6 points per game), Allen (12.3) and Jusif Nurkic (11.8) have also given the Suns additional scoring punch and floor spacing.
Nonetheless, the Suns have struggled to compete against bigger lineups, avoid fouls (19.2), and own the offensive glass (10.7).
How the Phoenix Suns will make the pieces fit
Though the Suns don’t anticipate any personality conflicts with their star players, they will have to determine at least tactically how to split up ball-handling and scoring responsibilities. And they need to show they can stay durable enough to play together.
Until that moment comes, however, the Suns maintained they will eventually benefit from these early-season adversities.
“A lot of teams go through the motions and don’t implement their best coverages on defense and schemes. But when they play against the Suns, they got to get creative in how they want to guard us,” Durant said.
“How are they going to guard a team with just me out there? How are they going to guard a team with just Book out there? I think we just upped the level with everybody in the league, to be honest. We’re coming into this game knowing that you got to play your best. That’s only going to make us better.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.