Is Bradley Beal playing tonight against San Antonio Spurs? Latest injury update from Phoenix Suns (October 31st)

The Phoenix Suns take on the San Antonio Spurs at home tonight and fans will, once again, not see Bradley Beal in action. The All-Star guard is yet to make his Suns debut and only time will tell when that will be. The Suns have started the season 2-1 but continued absence from the stars will inevitably result in a few losses.

The Suns can claw their way to wins against inferior opponents but Beal and Booker missing time will hurt the team in the long run. They need all three stars to play as much as possible together to develop chemistry.

This is a completely new team for Bradley Beal and we cannot expect him to gel with the roster from the jump. He will undoubtedly need time to adjust to the new squad and understand his teammates' weaknesses and strengths.

As per head coach Frank Vogel, Beal is officially listed out for the game against San Antonio with no return in sight. He is sidelined for the foreseeable future due to lower back spasms.

Beal played 14 and 18 minutes against Detroit and Portland, respectively in the preseason. Those minutes are meaningless as far as judging the team's offense is concerned. One needs to see the trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal in action for a large sample size to gauge where the Suns stand in the West.

So far, they haven't shown any glimpse of the team they need to be to win the stacked Western Conference.

How is Bradley Beal's progress looking like?

Bradley Beal with the Washington Wizards in 2022

Bradley Beal has not looked like himself in practice, which has fans and experts concerned. He's suffering from the same issue that kept Brooklyn Nets' Ben Simmons out for the whole season. With no timetable for his comeback, many are questioning if he will even return before the All-Star break.

The videos of his practice are circulating on social media and many have started to dissect his form, claiming it doesn't look the same.

Kevin Durant spoke to the media and supported his teammates in their injury recovery journey. He returned from a devastating Achilles injury and has dealt with several injuries since so he has unique insights to the rehab process. He mentioned that a lot of the recovery is mental and it takes a while for players to trust their bodies again.

"It's probably 70% of the battle just knowing that you’re alright and not being afraid to kina take risk out there (and) just play the game freely. Not think about getting injured again or get hurt," said Kevin Durant. "But those guys have been through it before so they understand what it’s like and the mental preparation it takes to come back from that so I’m looking forward to having them. It’s always good having them on the court and practicing."

Only time will tell when Bradley Beal is back and if he is able to play at 100%. Until then, the Phoenix Suns need to make sure he is part of practice and getting to know the team even if he isn't able to participate.