Bradley Beal: Suns' Defense 'A Little Tragic Right Now' After Win vs. Magic

Star shooting guard Bradley Beal lamented the Phoenix Suns' defensive performance following a 112-107 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters after the victory, Beal said the Suns' defense "is a little tragic right now," and noted that he, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are still a "work in progress" as the core of the team:

Beal has appeared in only eight games this season due to multiple injuries, but in two games since his return, the Suns have beaten the Charlotte Hornets and Magic by a total of 19 points.

With both Beal and Booker missing a significant amount of time this season, the Suns are off to a disappointing start at 17-15, but Sunday's win showed what they are capable of when fully healthy.

Going up against a Magic team that entered the game 19-12 thanks to All-Star-caliber play from Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, Phoenix rose to the occasion and scored one of its most impressive wins of the season.

Banchero and Wagner scored 28 and 27 points, respectively, but the Suns largely acquitted themselves on defense, holding the Magic to 42-of-90 shooting from the field (46.7 percent) and 12-of-37 shooting from beyond the arc (32.4 percent).

By comparison, the Suns shot 50 percent from the field, getting 31 points from Durant, 25 from Beal and 21 from Booker, which is just how the front office drew it up entering the season.

Phoenix is on a three-game winning streak after losing the previous three, and during the winning streak, it is surrendering an average of 113 points per game, which would put them in the upper middle of the pack defensively extrapolated over the course of the entire season.

When taking the entire 2023-24 campaign into account, the Suns rank 15th in the NBA with 114.4 points allowed per game, and they are 11th in field goal percentage against and 13th in three-point shooting percentage against.

Offense is the Suns' bread and butter, and that will likely continue to be the case for as long as Beal, KD and Booker are able to stay on the court together.

After stressing the need to improve defensively, Beal praised the Suns' offensive spacing, saying they can "get whatever we want" on that end of the floor.

The 30-year-old Beal was a three-time All-Star with the Washington Wizards prior to getting traded to Phoenix during the offseason, and he averaged 22.1 points per game during his 11 seasons with the organization.

Beal is averaging a mere 14.9 points per game so far this season, but injuries are likely the main culprit.

Sunday's 25-point showing was perhaps a preview of what he'll be able to do moving forward, and that should help make the Suns one of the top championship contenders in the Western Conference.