The Second Suns star may have been injured in the Kings loss

The Phoenix Suns began their games without the injured Kevin Durant with a significant overtime loss on Sunday and ultimately lost 127-118. There were some positives to take from the defeat, including the fact that it was only the team’s second loss of the entire season.

Given that the Suns suffered their second loss at the end of October last season – part of a 2-2 start that eventually fell to 2-4 – it’s fair to say that the head coach is already making serious progress made by Mike Budenholzer.

If ever this organization needed Beal to stay healthy for a period of playing time, it’s now. Not only will his offensive performance keep the Suns afloat while Durant rests his strained calf, but defensively he’s been as good as we’ve ever seen him in The Valley so far this season.

In 38 minutes against the Kings, Beal scored a team-high 28 points. Devin Booker was only able to muster 23 points, but that had more to do with an illness he was battling than anything else. He played 43 minutes – more than anyone else on the team – and did his part to help the Kings fight valiantly into overtime before coming up short.

To make matters worse, Beal announced after the game that he had twisted his knee late in the fourth quarter, but had played through the pain and remained on the court. A subsequent X-ray returned a negative result – a great sign for player and team – while Beal also said he could apply pressure to the knee afterwards.

But if we’ve learned anything about Bradley Beal’s time in Phoenix so far, it’s that injuries and absences are never too far away. He was limited to 53 regular-season games in his debut season, while he has already missed three games this season with an elbow injury.

It’s also become clear that the organization won’t rush players back from injury – although rookie Ryan Dunn was there despite a recent ankle sprain – and will give Durant the time he needs to rehab the calf strain. That makes sense, but Beal rolling his knee while Durant is already out and Booker is dealing with an illness is typical of how his time with the Suns has gone so far.

Just when the opportunity presents itself to return to the offensive centerpiece he was with the Washington Wizards — as opposed to the third option he took when the Suns were healthy — Beal suffers a blow of his own that begs the question how much he can help.

He doesn’t even have to try to be the point guard anymore, while Durant’s absence means Ryan Dunn can take his place and not threaten Beal’s own starting spot, with a section of fans calling for Beal to be moved to the bench. A rematch with the Kings – plus an Emirates NBA Cup game against the Utah Jazz before that – is coming up, and it would be great if Beal was available.