When Bradley Beal moved to The Valley last year, everyone expected the Suns to become the most lethal offensive force in the league. However, these expectations were never met because his health turned into a major concern from the moment he joined. While Beal did start this season strong, playing in the first 2 games, he’s unfortunately back on the injury report for tonight’s clash with the Mavs.

Well, he was already questionable heading into the game because of right elbow soreness. As per Mike Budenholzer, the shooting guard got tangled up on a screen during the Lakers game, which led to the injury. And upon further assessment, he has officially been ruled out of tonight’s home game, via Duane Rankin.

Sure enough, that’s a massive blow for the Suns who suffered a heartbreaking loss on Friday, despite leading the game by 22 points in the first half. Moreover, Beal looked in decent form in his first 2 appearances, averaging 19.5 points and shooting over 50% from deep range. The team will miss his scoring ability while going up against the Big 3 of Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson. On the other hand, rookie Ryan Dunn will make his first NBA start in place of Bradley Beal.

Unfortunately, the Suns’ misery does not end there because Grayson Allen is also expected to be out because of personal reasons. He has hardly been on the court so far as he played in only one preseason game and also sat out during Friday’s game against LeBron James and Co. Being the most efficient three-point shooter last season, his unavailability definitely hurts his team. As far as Beal goes, things are not going according to his plan.

Bradley Beal’s main focus after a ‘frustrating’ first year in Phoenix

Well, this season was supposed to be a fresh start for Beal. Because of multiple injuries, he could never find his groove last year. And finally regaining complete health, he was excited heading into this season. “I feel ecstatic right now. I’m super excited. Just to be able to for me have a good summer, just to be able to mentally clear last year, like you said, it was a whirlwind.” The hooper was looking forward to a new year, saying, “I never really got off to a good start. Now, I get to do that.”

But Bradley Beal has suffered a new setback in just the third game of this season. Although the injury might not be as severe as the one the hooper went through last year, it is surely not an ideal way to start. Especially when he had a new goal in mind after a ‘frustrating’ first year, “One thing I didn’t do and it’s my main focus and goal this year is have fun.” Hopefully, he will recover from the soreness and return to the court soon. But for tonight, the Suns will have to battle a hungry Mavs side without him.