Bradley Beal Slowly Proving Suns Right

The Suns guard had his best game as a member of the franchise

Phoenix Suns G Bradley Beal looks to finally be settling in the Valley.

Beal's arrival back in June came with much fanfare - though his first months of the regular season have been marred by both a back injury and sprained ankle, limiting the former All-Star to just 14 games played thus far. 

While Beal has undoubtedly had a small sample of strong performances - namely the pair of 25-point outings against the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers-  he had an even better showing against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. 

Beal finally displayed what he can bring to the table on a larger scale. He wasn't only the best player on the court (surrounded by four future hall-of-fame talents), he also exhibited truly elite all-around play. 

The most obvious development from the Lakers game was the former Wizards' 37 points, including 20 in the third quarter. 

Bradley Beal is taking over 👀

20 PTS in the 3Q 🔥 pic.twitter.com/quAag7DG6b

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 12, 2024

He also played hard-nosed defense, was aggressive/intentional with his shot seeking and acted as an effective playmaker.

The combo-guard looks to finally be comfortable being aggressive even as a third option in a theoretically potent Suns' offense.

The star trio of Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant looks to be finally putting things together after a string of several consecutive games together partly due to Beal's continued growth in the system. 

While his numbers through his initial stint appear to be relatively modest, many of those games were played while dealing with an injury or coming back from one. 

Beal has clearly improved by the game since his return and truly looks to be an all-star talent - even through the turmoil of the past two months. 

Beal's value also transcends his on-court play. 

The star has embraced the city, his teammates, and brings much-needed personality to a talented team that sorely needs to build continuity. 

It may have been risky to trade for a player on the wrong side of 30 who's on a max contract with a no-trade clause built in. The trade may not pay off with an NBA championship being delivered to Phoenix.

But process always takes precedence over results. The Suns made the right move bringing an exemplary human being and fantastic basketball player along in this experiment.