Stephen A. Smith Adds to Concern Over Health of Suns’ Bradley Beal
With the offseason trade to acquire Bradley Beal, the Suns were one of the most talked-about teams in the NBA given the level of star power they tout in the Western Conference. The only problem is Beal has yet to make his regular-season debut for Phoenix and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is a bit concerned over the apparent trend with the superstar guard.
Beal played in one preseason game for the Suns but hasn’t played since due to back spasms after having lower back tightness. Devin Booker hasn’t played since the season-opener either while dealing with a left ankle sprain, leaving Kevin Durant as the lone member of the team’s big three through the bulk of the early stages of the new year.
Looking at all of this, Smith highlighted some alarming numbers while talking about Beal’s injury history.
"I'm a big Bradley Beal fan, but since 2019 he's missed about 105 of the last 312 games. ... I'm starting to get really, really concerned. I need to see this guy on the court."
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 1, 2023
—@stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/n1fh1WMN18
“I’m starting to get really, really concerned,” Smith said on First Take Wednesday. “I need to see this guy on the court. I mean, damn.”
Smith mentioned the games Beal has missed in the last couple of years, and he’s not wrong. Beal, 30, last played a full 82-game schedule during the 2018–19 season with the Wizards. Since then, he has played in just 176 games over the past four seasons. He has missed 74 games in the last two years alone.
With the Suns starting out a disappointing 2–2 on the year, there’s a legitimate concern that the NBA's newest big three will barely see the court together due to the looming health issues.