NBA Rumors: Suns' Bradley Beal Out a 'Few Weeks' with Ankle Injury; No Major Damage
Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal is going back on the shelf.
Beal is expected to miss "a few weeks" with a right ankle injury suffered in Friday's loss to the New York Knicks, according to The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania. An MRI on Beal's ankle confirmed no major damage, Charania added.
The news comes after Suns head coach Frank Vogel told reporters Friday that Beal sprained his ankle and would be out indefinitely.
Beal suffered the injury in the first quarter of Friday's matchup. He pulled up from deep and came down on the heel of Knicks veteran Donte DiVincenzo, appearing to twist his ankle before hitting the court in pain.
DiVincenzo was assessed a Flagrant 1 on the play and Beal took his free-throws before heading to the locker room.
The injury is a tough blow for both Beal and the Suns as the veteran has been in-and-out of the Phoenix lineup since arriving in a trade from the Washington Wizards during the offseason due to a back injury.
Beal missed the first seven games of the season before returning for a three-game stretch in November. He then hit the shelf again for nearly one month before returning to the court on Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors.
In just six games this season, Beal is averaging 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from deep.
The Suns brought in Beal during the offseason with hopes he could form a new Big 3 alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. However, the trio hasn't found much success due to bad injury luck.
Booker has missed time with a right calf strain and Durant has also been sidelined by an ankle injury.
Phoenix entered the 2023-24 season with high expectations following the addition of Beal, but the franchise has underperformed to this point as they sit 10th in the Western Conference with a 13-12 record.
With Beal sidelined for the next few weeks, it'll be up to Durant and Booker to help keep the Suns afloat.
