Great, so much for the Phoenix Suns who returned to regular season mode after losing to the in-season tournament Lakerellas. Oh wait, they actually did it.
The wind of caution has once again blown against the wind, because folks, this is still December 8th and there’s still 75% of the season to play before the inevitable playoffs come to town.So the suns be careful. As they should. Let’s start with the good news: what’s NOT on the listDevin “Soft-Tissue” Booker is not on the list at all. He may have just suffered post-traumatic shock during another lackluster playoff game (at least it felt more like the 2021 Finals than the others!). And at least this time it was a training exercise he was able to work out with his therapist before the playoffs.Eric Gordon’s knee appears to be fine. I thought I saw him do it again in the first quarter, but if you’re not listed, you’re not listed. Kevin Durant’s problem is listed as an ankle problem. The way he grabbed him could have been by the ankle or the foot. The ankle is better because he played until the end of the match. This doesn’t seem to be a long term problem.Now the bad newsGrayson Allen has had a very good streak. He is second on the team in three-point attempts (4.9, behind Gordon) and three-point percentage (46.%, behind Durant). and does a little bit of everything on the pitch. He’s a very good fifth starter, and that’s what he’s done the last three years in Milwaukee and now in Phoenix.Any injury listed as a groin injury can occur quickly but usually persists.More informationWe know that Bradley Beal (OUT) will be re-evaluated today or soon, with the goal of him making his debut in the Suns’ 4-game homestand next week. Home stats include a matchup against Steph’s Warriors and Mikal’s Nets, followed by a weekend with the Knicks and his former team, the Wizards. We’ll see him again at some point, but there’s no way he’ll play the entire doubleheader at the start of the week. Tell me, DaveI’ve gotten a few questions about this: “Dave, if Allen and Gordon are playing so well, do we really need Bradley Beal?”We can approach this in different ways. Do we need the player? Oh yeah. YES. YES. YES. See how these games go. Teams can still feature a Libro/KD combination with tall, really good defenders. Throw Beal into the equation and the whole model falls apart.Allen and Gordon wait for a free throw and aren’t good enough playmakers for the others. Imagine Beal in there instead. I compared the stats of three players. Allen and Gordon’s numbers are ALONE THIS YEAR (so 19 games) in their roles against the Suns, with primarily an All-Star in the lineup. Brad Beal’s numbers match the last time he played with an A-list All-Star, John Wall. More from Bright Side Of The SunDoes Jusuf Nurkic need to improve? Game Preview: Pacific Division showdown as Suns take on Kings for first time this seasonStephen’s Study: Mid-Season Tournament Quarter-Finals ReturnThe impact of Bradley Beal’s late return to the Phoenix Suns’ starting lineupInside the Suns – Topics: Fourth quarter problems, Josh Okogie, Grayson Allen or Eric GordonSuns injury update: Bradley Beal close to return, which will be re-evaluated later this week
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