The Phoenix star issued a challenge to his teammates and himself.
The Phoenix Suns fell 140-129 to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night in a game that saw the team put up seemingly little effort.
Suns star Bradley Beal acknowledged that the team played with a lack of urgency and that it needs to be better, per Gerald Bouruet of PHNX Sports:
Bradley Beal on the Suns’ lack of urgency in Milwaukee: “We definitely can’t lay eggs like that. We gotta come out with a lot better focus and a lot more sense of urgency than what we’ve been having. That’s been way unacceptable and we all know that…it starts with us three.” pic.twitter.com/9FMlaOwB9U
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) March 19, 2024
“Bradley Beal on the Suns’ lack of urgency in Milwaukee: ‘We definitely can’t lay eggs like that. We gotta come out with a lot better focus and a lot more sense of urgency than what we’ve been having. That’s been way unacceptable and we all know that…it starts with us three.’”
The Suns simply could not match the Bucks’ intensity. Milwaukee shot a blazing 58.5% on threes compared to the Suns’ 42.5%.
Most importantly, Kevin Durant only scored 11 points during the contest. Durant averages 27.8 points per game through 61 games, so his low-scoring display was concerning.
Beal isn’t alone in acknowledging that the team’s big-3 should take more responsibility. Bill Simmons recently suggested that Durant and Booker should shoulder more blame for the Suns’ struggles.
“It’s like well these two guys, they’re two of the best twelve guys in the league, shouldn’t their team be great?… I don’t get it. Oh, it’s not great, alright it’s everybody else fault.”
As Simmons mentioned, Durant and Booker are two of the top scorers in the league. Add Bradley Beal into the mix, and Phoenix’s offense should be nearly unstoppable.
While there is improvement to be made from role players, Phoenix’s star players must find a way to be productive on a nightly basis. If they consistently bring their best performance and help the team lock in on defense, the Suns will have a chance to make a deep postseason run.
About the Author
Peter Sampson has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Portland Trail Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting “The Pulse with Peter Sampson” in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer’s Edge and XRAY.FM – where his show “Blazer’s Edge Radio” was named “Portland’s Best Sports Radio” in the 2017 Willamette Week reader’s poll. When he’s not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.
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