Kevin Durant hypes up Bradley Beal following signature Suns win vs Lakers: "I enjoy seeing my teammates cook like that" (Exclusive)
After only playing six games together with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal maintained they had too small of a sample size before drawing any definitive conclusions about the team’s potential or chemistry.
Following the Suns’ 138-111 loss to the LA Clippers on Monday, however, Beal conceded he feels conflicted on his faith that the team still has plenty of time left to turn its season around.
“For sure. You have to, but eventually, you can’t keep saying that. You run out of games eventually,” Beal told Sportskeeda. “We’re still getting it together and still figuring it out. But we have to do it a little bit faster.”
To do so, Beal argued the team needs to improve with making defensive stops, playing at a faster pace and how the team’s so-called Big 3 can operate together.
“We’re very unselfish guys. We’re probably a little too unselfish at times,” Bradley told Sportskeeda. “We’re trying to figure out the balance and put it together.”
Bradley saw more encouraging signs in the Suns’ 127-109 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Then, the Suns’ Big 3 showed strong balance among Beal (season-high 37 points), Booker (31) and Durant (18). After both the Suns’ stars and reserves previously struggled during crunch-time minutes, Phoenix (20-18) already held a 105-78 lead entering the fourth quarter. And after missing a combined 26 games with injuries related to his lower back (19) and right ankle (seven), Beal appeared both aggressive and comfortable in his seventh game with Durant and Booker.
Suns coach Frank Vogel considered Beal’s latest performance to be “his best night.” With Beal going 8-for-10 from 3-point range, Vogel also told Beal in both a joking and serious fashion that he expects him to take 10 3s a game.
“He’s getting a little stronger, a little more in rhythm and a little bit more used to his teammates each game,” Vogel said. “So, that’s very encouraging.”
Overall, the Suns’ Big 3 played the way Beal proposed they should approach the game following their loss to the Clippers.
“Just being aggressive and being who we are,” Beal told Sportskeeda. “It’s tough because we were all in certain different situations before we all came here and the teams were different. Now we have a lot of help. So it’s a little bit different in that regard.”
Beal spent his first 11 seasons with the Washington Wizards (2012-23) where he became a three-time All-Star for his dynamic scoring and playmaking. Durant has become one of the NBA’s most prolific and efficient scorers with the Seattle Sonics/Oklahoma City Thunder (2007-2016), Golden State Warriors (2016-19), Brooklyn Nets (2019-23) and Suns (2023-24). Booker has played his entire nine-year career with the Suns (2015-present) where he has appeared in one NBA Finals (2021) and three All-Star games (2020-22) as an aggressive scorer and improving distributor.
So when the Suns acquired Bradley last summer as part of a three-team trade with Washington and Indiana, the Suns projected role changes. They hardly worried about the fit, though. Durant has remained both a dominant and efficient scorer in Oklahoma City (Russell Westbrook), Golden State (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson), Brooklyn (Kyrie Irving, James Harden). Booker shared ball-handling duties before as both a young player (Eric Bledsoe) and during the Sun’s recent playoff teams (Chris Paul). Beal did the same in Washington in separate stints with John Wall and Westbrook.
“It takes a lot of sacrifice. It takes a lot of trust in your teammates,” Beal told Sportskeeda. “It takes a lot of trust in the process with getting better and understanding where guys like the ball or don’t like the ball and what they like and don’t like. It’s just bringing it all together, man. We’re not rattled.”
Bradley maintained that mindset despite nursing overlapping injuries that disrupted his first season in Phoenix.
Beal missed the first seven games amid tightness and spasms in his lower back (Oct. 24-Nov. 5). After playing in three games, Beal strained his back and then missed the following 11 games (then sat during the following 11 (Nov. 15 – Dec. 8). Following another three-game stint, Beal then missed five more games with a sprained right ankle (Dec. 17 -27).
“He’s always good vibes – high energy, talking and funny,” Booker said. “To remain that and keep that in the midst of missing 15-20 games and then to get hurt (in his) first game back? We went on the road and came back, and he is still high-spirited. That takes a lot. I can’t do it. I definitely can’t do it. But that’s important. He keeps the morale of the team high.”
During those various absences, Beal said he stayed positive by leaning on his Christian faith and focusing on his rehab. Durant observed that Beal handled those challenges like “a true pro.”
“I don’t go out there and try to get hurt. For me, it’s just control what you can control,” Beal told Sportskeeda. “Obviously, ‘I’ll be back soon’ is always the mindset and ‘being back better than ever.’ So I’m just being confident in the program that we put together. Knock on wood, I’m in a good spot now. Hopefully it stays that way.”
If so, the Suns could become one of the NBA’s most dangerous teams.
The reasons go beyond the skills that Durant, Booker and Beal possess together. Vogel has not had to expect any major conflicts over personality differences or roles. Beal, Booker and Durant all look comfortable sharing ball-handling responsibilities. They all can score both on and off the ball. The Suns have some dependable secondary scorers (Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen) and a great screen setter (Jusuf Nurkic) to help the Suns’ Big 3 both with their workload and more open shots. The Suns aren’t usually an elite defensive team. But the team’s small-ball lineup helped limit the Lakers’ Anthony Davis to 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting. Durant became the primary defender on Lakers star LeBron James, who had 10 points while shooting 3-for-11 from the field and 0-for-4 from 3-point range.
Nonetheless, the Suns pointed to Beal for setting the tone with everything. He told Sportskeeda that the team can win more consistently if it makes defensive stops and then plays at a faster pace.
“It’s been fun being around Brad and seeing his mentality and his IQ for the game,” Durant said of Beal. “When you’re around teams that don’t have successful post-season runs like he was a part of the past few years, people tend to question your IQ and intelligence for the game. But when you’re around Brad, he sees and knows everything. He hears everything out on the floor. That is always good to have when you have another guy that can just kind of survey the game the way he surveys it.”
How did Bradley Beal fare against the Lakers?
Beal showed those skills against the Lakers with both his range, ball handling and playmaking. The most notable example? Beal made a 3-pointer over Lakers guard Austin Reaves after performing three consecutive in-and-out moves. After falling to the ground, Beal raised his hands in the air. Durant looked just as hyped.
“Brad is one of the best players in the world,” Durant said. “To see an opportunity to see that close up and see a guy every day and see who he truly is as a player and then you come out there and get moments like that, that’s always fun. I enjoy seeing my teammates cook like that. We’re going to need more from him because that ignites the bench and it ignites the crowd, even if we’re on the road.”
Beal finished with a break-out performance after entering Thursday’s game averaging 16.8 points on 48% shooting and 3.8 assists. Those mark his lowest scoring numbers since his fourth season in (2015-16). Nonetheless, the Suns became more encouraged with how Beal has fit in with the group despite his previous injuries that limited him to play only 14 out of a possible 38 games.
“He loves playing with two players the caliber of Book and KD,” Vogel said of Beal. “He’s all in and will do whatever it takes to help this franchise win an NBA championship. That level of sacrifice is A: necessary and B: refreshing. He’s really bought into what we can be. He’s been great so far.”
Beal partly credited Durant and Booker for that transition. He has respected them for their disciplined practice habits and that they prefer to lead with their work instead of with dramatic speeches. Because he operates in a similar fashion, Beal said that has prompted all three to become more vocal with each other. That has helped all three willingly blend their scoring and playmaking responsibilities together. Vogel added that all three often communicate before and after practices and in film sessions.
“It’s been a smooth transition. It’s not a one-man show,” Beal told Sportskeeda. “It’s not a one-man voice. Everybody has a voice. Everybody has the same accountability factor. It's about having a willing attitude and being coachable. I’ve never played with guys like this. These are two historical players. I embrace them every day and learn from them. I learn how they prepare for games and their mentality when it comes to this game. I just try to learn from them as best as I can. It’s crazy to say because I’m 12-plus years in. But it’s definitely an intriguing factor for me. It’s been a great place mentally for me, knowing I can learn from those two.”
The Suns are far from a finished product. They are ranked eighth in a competitive Western Conference that includes two young and dangerous teams (Minnesota, Oklahoma City), the NBA’s defending champions (Denver) and a healthy team that has ironed out its chemistry (LA Clippers).
Nonetheless, the Suns showcased their potential against the Lakers should they stay healthy. That starts with Beal, who showed why he could be worth the wait.
“He got to wherever he wanted,” Durant said of Beal. “He had his whole bag open tonight. When he’s unpredictable in his attack, it just makes the game easier for everybody else.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.