Things didn’t go exactly as planned for Bradley Beal and the Phoenix Suns during last year’s NBA season, and now one analyst is arguing that the Suns should make a rather drastic decision with Beal.
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report believes Beal should be benched in favor of Tyus Jones, who Phoenix signed as a free agent.
Swartz qualifies his statement by saying that Jones seems to feel like he was promised a starting job, which would likely mean one of Beal or Grayson Allen should go to hell.
It’s not exactly a major demotion for Beal in Swartz’s proposal.
In this scenario, Beal would lead the second unit and likely have more scoring opportunities thanks to playing fewer minutes alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
Of course, ultimately Beal would almost certainly play starting minutes anyway, and most of the time he would likely finish games with the starting unit.
But the Suns need to shake things up after an incredibly disappointing 2023-24 campaign, and sending Beal into a sixth-man role might be one of the best ways to do that.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Phoenix Suns Updates
Phoenix acquired Beal from the Washington Wizards in a blockbuster three-team trade last summer. In his first season in the desert, Beal played in 53 games and averaged 18.2 points, five assists and 4.4 rebounds in 33.3 minutes per night on a 51.3/43.0/81.3 shooting ratio.
Those aren’t exactly bad numbers, as Beal actually posted a career-best 60.7% true shooting percentage. However, he had a net score of minus 0.1and he just didn’t get along well with Durant and Booker. Especially in late-game situations.
Will Bradley Beal and the Phoenix Suns be able to challenge for the title next season?
On paper, the Suns are well-stacked. A trio of Durant, Booker and Beal looks terrifying, and supporting pieces like Jusuf Nurkic and Allen aren’t too bad.
But clearly, something went terribly wrong with Phoenix’s chemistry last year, which played a big role in the Suns being the worst team in basketball in the fourth quarter.
This was on full display in the playoffs, when Phoenix was swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.
Despite the Suns’ talent, the Western Conference is a bloodbath. The Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets and Timberwolves will all be back and potentially better next season, and don’t forget the Memphis Grizzlies are on the mend.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Phoenix Suns Updates
It will take a major shift in philosophy for Phoenix to make a serious run, and with Durant another year older, a deep playoff run may simply not be in the cards for the Phoenix Suns in 2025.
But maybe moving Bradley Beal to the bench could spark something.
Who knows.
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