Bradley Beal made his return for the Phoenix Suns on Friday night in a decisive win against the Charlotte Hornets. We didn’t witness elite Beal play in his 30 minutes on the court. He was 3-of-8 from the field, 0-of-2 from beyond the arc, and scored a mere six points. No flashy dunks, no herky-jerky drives to the interior. Just basic basketball at a monitored pace.
That is to be expected in his return from an ankle injury he suffered two weeks prior. The goal for Beal over the next few games — all of which will occur at the friendly confines of the Footprint Center as the Suns are on a six-game homestand — is to re-insert him into the Suns’ lineups and rotations while simultaneously allowing him to work himself back into game shape.