Why Bradley Beal Holds Key to Suns Success

Beal's second season in the Valley could be fruitful.

Apr 12, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) pushes the ball up the court during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images / Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- Among many uncertainties surrounding the 2024-25 Phoenix Suns - the pressure surrounding bringing the first title back to the city is not one of them.

The Suns have been in existence for nearly 60 years - and have notably fallen short of the ultimate goal multiple times, despite possessing a historically relevant collection of talent.

Who is player that could ultimately play the largest role in breaking the "Phoenix curse", in 2025 - thus breaking decades of pain shared among fans across the Valley?

Bradley Beal would be the answer of many, including Shaun Powell of NBA.com.

Powell's assessment was candid, but also quite clear on where the most pressure lies.

"Once again there will be a heap of responsibility on three players, and at least two of them will likely be up to the challenge. Durant and Booker are great (the Olympics confirmed that) and reliable. Assuming good health, both should contend for All-Star and All-NBA spots.


"Then it’s up to Beal to bounce back with a consistent and high-level season. If that’s the case, the Suns will be in the contender mix, even with a considerable drop-off in talent outside the three-man core. One way or another, Phoenix will either prove that super-teams still work, or are slowly being phased out in favor of balanced and well-constructed alternatives."

- Powell on Beal's meaning to Suns

Powell could very well be undervaluing role players such as Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, Royce O'Neale, and perhaps even Bol Bol.

Taking that out of account, the assessment is pretty spot-on.

Beal was perfectly fine in the limited run he received last season after suffering a series of untimely injuries, but he certainly did not live up to the lofty expectations placed upon him when the trade to the Suns took place last June.

He battled through the aforementioned injuries while also facing an inconsistent role that was handed to him and a general lack of time to build desired camraderie with his teammates.

Now in year two, much of the same roster returns, and the parts that didn't were clearly upgraded. Mike Budenholzer is also sure to be a more friendly coach for Beal's skillset.

It's virtually assured that both Booker and Durant will play their respective roles to the best of their abilities. If Beal can take a step forward in multiple areas this season it could exponentially raise the ceiling of this squad as the season progresses.