Beal is the third option, but if the Suns move the ball and move bodies, he can be the one who gets open looks off how the defense reacts to Durant and Booker. On Beal’s dagger 3, Chicago chose to double Durant essentially at half court.

In early January, as both Bradley Beal and the Phoenix Suns struggled to find their footing, coach Mike Budenholzer moved Beal to the bench. Phoenix is still struggling, so Saturday Coach Bud moved Beal back into the starting lineup and the result was him dropping 25 points — with the Suns' big three of Beal,

Beal started next to Devin Booker, Royce O'Neale, Kevin Durant and Nick Richards. With no traditional point guard on the court, this is the same sort of lineup construction that the Suns relied on throughout the 2023-24 season under coach Frank Vogel.