Health Prevented Suns From No. 1 Seed, Says Bradley Beal

The Phoenix Suns would have been the top team in the West if Bradley Beal was healthy.

Oct 6, 2024; Palm Desert, California, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) dances during a second half time out against the Los Angeles Lakers at Acrisure Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images / David Frerker-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns scratched and clawed their way to the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference last year before being swept out of the first round of postseason play.

Fate would have been different if star guard Bradley Beal was fully healthy.

Don't take that from fans or media - but from the man himself:

"I missed games and we won 49 games," Beal said on the Run Your Race podcast (h/t The Arizona Republic).

"Just think of that, in hindsight. I'm not saying that we're gonna win every damn game, but If I play half of them games, we the No. 1 seed in the West, or a least competing for the No. 1 seed."

Beal missed 29 games due to injuries that ranged from lower back problems to a nasal fracture in the 2023-24 season.

After the Suns started 15-15 with plenty of questions surrounding their overall fate, Phoenix eventually pushed themselves 10+ games above .500 before landing with 49 wins.

Devin Booker also missed 14 games while Kevin Durant missed just seven contests.

Even if they were healthy, it's hard to imagine the Suns competing for the top spot in an extremely tough Western Conference last season.

Both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets won 57 games while the Minnesota Timberwolves were just one game back from both once the dust settled. The Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks both finished with 50+ wins, too.

Perhaps more continuity will pay dividends for the Suns moving into the second season of the "big three" experiment - though Beal's fairly confident in what could have been.