The grand re-re-re-opening of the Phoenix Suns may soon be upon us.
In an appearance Thursday on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back,” Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that injured Suns All-Star Bradley Beal is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a right ankle sprain. Charania adds that Beal could return as soon as this coming weekend as Phoenix plays the Charlotte Hornets on Friday and the Orlando Magic on Sunday.
The three-time All-Star Beal sprained his ankle on Dec. 15 in a game against the New York Knicks. Prior to that, Beal had missed significant time with a back strain. As a result, he has appeared in just four of 30 games this season, and Phoenix’s Big Three of Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant has gotten a grand total of two games played together (spanning 24 minutes of on-court time).
While the Suns got a convincing road victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday, they have still been a massive disappointment this season at 15-15 (after they spent all of 2023 going all-in on a championship pursuit). Kevin Durant is reportedly frustrated behind the scenes (supposedly with Beal’s unavailability among other issues), and another Suns player has taken it a step further by expressing his frustrations in public.
The good news is that Beal’s impending return to the lineup ahead of schedule should be an obvious boost for Phoenix. But at this point, it is anyone’s guess how long he (or the rest of the Suns’ core guys for that matter) will be able to stay healthy this time around.
