The Suns were embarrassingly swept by the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs and it was an especially tough loss for Bradley Beal.
Beal was the biggest addition of the offseason for Phoenix but he struggled quite a bit during Minnesota. He had just nine points (4-of-13 FG) in the final game of the series, adding one rebound and two assists while also recording six turnovers. He averaged 16.5 points in the series, which is far below his NBA career average.
It was a major disappointment and there was clearly some frustration. In the elimination game, after committing a foul in the third quarter, Beal seemingly ignored a hand shake from head coach Frank Vogel.
Bradley Beal looked to brush Frank Vogel's hand away while heading to the bench 👀pic.twitter.com/EpFJomRKu9
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 29, 2024
While it’s unclear exactly what happened here, this isn’t a great look. Beal and Vogel also had a heated exchange earlier in the series as well.
It is especially concerning when considering the recent report from Shams Charania and Doug Haller (via The Athletic):
“Frank Vogel entered the home locker room at Footprint Center and lit into his team. After his Phoenix Suns had fallen into a 35-4 hole en route to a loss to the LA Clippers on April 9, the head coach yelled so much that his voice could be heard outside the locker room. There was only one problem.
On this night, Suns players weren’t buying it. The outburst seemed forced and out of character in their eyes. It continued at the next day’s shootaround in Los Angeles, Vogel tearing into the Suns before that night’s road win over the Clippers. Vogel’s eruption left players rolling their eyes, sources briefed on the matter told The Athletic. One player even told The Athletic he had to keep from laughing.”
Beal has insisted that he and Vogel are on good terms, but moments like this do not help the narrative.
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