Suns' Bradley Beal makes season debut after back injury - ESPN

CHICAGO — Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal made his 2023-24 season debut on Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls.

Beal, who missed the first seven games of the season because of a back injury, was on a minutes restriction, according to coach Frank Vogel, who didn't list a specific number.

«He's one of the most dynamic players in the league,» Vogel said prior to the game. «Having missed as much time as he had, we expect there to be some rust. With guys sliding into different spots in the rotation, hopefully it doesn't shake the rhythm up that much.

»Just having a player that is as dynamic as Bradley Beal on both sides of the ball and being able to generate offensively, not just scoring the basketball, but creating for others, should give us a huge lift."

The Suns acquired Beal in a trade with the Washington Wizards this past June in exchange for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet and four future first-round pick swaps. Beal played in 50 games last season for Washington, scoring 23.2 points with 5.4 assists on 50.6% shooting.

Phoenix will get a chance to see Beal playing alongside superstar Kevin Durant for the first time, although the Suns will have to wait a little longer to be at full strength. Devin Booker (calf) missed his third straight game on Wednesday.

Still, Vogel was looking forward to seeing the team's newest star on the floor for the first time this season.

«You never know how things are going to jell,» Vogel said. «But these guys are such good and complete players that can roll with the basketball and without the basketball that I'm very optimistic that it's not going to take a lot of time for them to jell, but you never know. We'll have to see how these things play out.»