Bradley Beal returned to Washington DC on February 4 to play against the Washington Wizards for the first time since he was traded to the Phoenix Suns last June. A Wizard veteran of 11 years, the home crowd welcomed Beal with an ovation and tribute video that recounted his highlights while playing in the district. In response, Beal put on a show for his faithful fans, as he hit 16/21 field goals and scored a season high 43 points.
Brad’s first 40-piece in a Suns uniform 🔥
Tonight’s @FanDuel Stat Line of the Game! pic.twitter.com/3X68cwBdZI
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) February 4, 2024
While Beal has been a tremendous scorer for his whole career up to this point, this season has been tough on the 3-time NBA All-Star Guard. He has battled with injuries and has struggled to stay consistent, only scoring 17 points per contest before his 43-point explosion. A large reason beyond injuries for Beal’s declining stat lines is because of playing with two other ball dominant stars in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. However, with Beal making a homecoming, all his Sun’s teammates knew who the offense was going through.
Caption this ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/CJqgPW8Dmz
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) February 4, 2024
During the Sun’s win in Washington, Beal was a highlight machine, as he hit 4 out of 5 shots from behind the arc, leapt for a couple big dunks, all while looking extra stylish with the Batman-like mask he wore because of a nose injury. His overall play in the game was nothing new to the Wizard’s faithful who saw his star ability night in and night out for over a decade. In the midst of the disastrous season the Wizards are facing, Beal’s return was most certainly the highlight of the year, even though it ended with a blowout loss to their former star and his Phoenix teammates.
Wizards and Suns Headed in Opposite Directions
The Sunday afternoon meeting between the Wizards and the Suns brought together with two very different expectations this season. The Wizards held a fire sale in the offseason, which led to Beal’s departure to Phoenix. The Suns, meanwhile, were in the midst of accumulating win-now talent in hopes of a championship run. As it stands currently, both teams are competing exactly how it was expected prior to the start of the NBA season. The Wizards are the second worst team league-wide, while the Suns currently hold a playoff spot in the tough Western Conference.
Can Bradley Beal Finally Become a Winner in the NBA?
Ever since the Wizard’s made Beal the 3rd overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the team struggled to win consistently. Being paired with fellow All-Star Guard in John Wall, the duo was successful to an extent, but they could never advance past the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs. More recently, after Wall got injured and Beal was left as the team’s lone all-star talent, the Wizards descended into complete mediocrity, often a longshot for the postseason.
Now that the Wizards finally entered full rebuild mode by trading away top assets, Beal, for the first time in his career, has a shot at advancing far in the playoffs and can perhaps win the NBA Finals. Of course, the Suns are stacked with talent, with Beal being the 3rd option behind Durant and Booker. Nevertheless, Beal’s wish of playing “meaningful” games and contributing to a team with championship aspirations has finally come true.
There is still a lot of basketball left to be played this year. Let’s hope that Beal can stay healthy during this stretch run.
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