The Second Suns’ star may have injured himself in the King’s loss

The Phoenix Suns began their streak without the injured Kevin Durant with a spirited overtime loss on Sunday, eventually falling 127-118. There were some positives to take away from the defeat, including the fact that this is only the team’s second loss all season.

Given that the Suns had recorded their second loss by the end of October last season — as part of a 2-2 start that eventually fell as low as 2-4 — it’s fair to say that already made serious strides by head coach Mike Budenholzer.

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

In 38 minutes against the Kings, Beal had a team-high 28 points. Devin Booker could only muster 23, but that had more to do with an illness he’s been battling than anything else. He played 43 minutes — more than anyone else on the team — and played his part in valiantly battling the Kings in overtime before coming up short.

To make matters worse, Beal revealed after the game that he had rolled his knee late in the fourth quarter but had fought through the pain and stayed on the field. An X-ray afterward came back negative — a good sign for both player and team — while Beal also said he could put pressure on the knee afterward.

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

It’s also become clear the organization isn’t rushing players back from injuries — though rookie Ryan Dunn was out despite spraining his ankle recently — with Durant getting all the time needed to rehabilitate the calf strain. It makes sense, but Beal rolling his knee while Durant is already out and Booker is battling illness is typical of how his time with the Suns has gone so far.

Just when there’s an opportunity to return to the offensive center he was with the Washington Wizards — as opposed to the third option he’s assumed when the Suns are healthy — Beal himself is dealt a blow that calls into question where He can help a lot.

He doesn’t even have to try to be a point guard anymore, while the absence of Durant means that Ryan Dunn can take his place and not threaten Beal’s own starting spot, as some fans demand that Beal be moved to the bench. A rematch with the Kings — plus an Emirates NBA Cup game against the Utah Jazz beforehand — looms, and it would be great if Beal were available.