Game Preview: Suns Visit Windy City in Final Game of Road Circuit

The Phoenix Suns have had a turbulent start to their 2023-24 season, to say the least. The team has been without star acquisition Bradley Beal for all seven of their contests while Devin Booker has missed five games with various lower-leg ailments.

These unfortunate circumstances are less than ideal, leaving the coaching staff to adjust on-the-fly just a handful of games into the season.

However, Frank Vogel, Kevin Durant, and an array of vet minimum role players have answered the call for the most part.

While the Suns have had more ups than downs even through the unsure start, the Chicago Bulls sure feel like a team that's on the verge of a complete teardown.

The Bulls, lead by well renowned coach Billy Donovan, were looking quite nice when stacked up against the rest of the Eastern Conference as recently as January 2022. It all went downhill from there with Lonzo Ball’s knee injury.

The team traded away valuable assets for Nikola Vucevic, has failed to develop their blue-chip draft picks for the most part, and has largely committed to signing role players for talent rather than fit.

Despite the Bulls' early struggles, this is the NBA and no matchup should be taken lightly. Here are some things to watch out for tonight:

Do We Finally See Beal Tonight?

Bradley Beal could quite possibly be making his long-awaited Suns debut tonight after about three weeks of dealing with back tightness.

He officially was upgraded to questionable for the game, so if he is good to go he should be able to take pressure off of teammates such as Eric Gordon, even in the confirmed absence of Devin Booker.

If Beal is good to go tonight, the other question is how much he'll play. The smart move would be to limit minutes while also giving him plenty of reps with players he'll be sharing the court with frequently.

Suns fans should continue to check on his status throughout the day.

Which LaVine Do We Get Tonight?

Zach LaVine has had possibly the most up-and-down showings this season from any star-level player. The longtime Bull has had four quite good games, including a spectacular 51 point performance against Detroit.

On the other end of the spectrum, LaVine has been quite shaky in the other four games with poor shooting outputs and not much playmaking or defensive impact.

LaVine has been quite inconsistent this year to say the least, but Suns fans shouldn't underestimate the sheer volume scoring ability the former all-star has proven to possess.

Suns' Reunion With Former Fan Favorite

The Suns will face off against a former beloved member of the franchise in Torrey Craig for the first time since he departed to Chicago this summer. Craig was a vital piece in the Suns' rotation in two different stints, and capped off his run with the franchise with a special first-round showing in the playoffs against the Clippers last season.

Craig has been one of the few consistent cogs in Chicago this season, averaging 5.3 PPG and 4.9 RPG, while shooting a strong 43.8% from three. Craig has also started three of Chicago's eight contests and has brought his trademark hard-nosed defense next to fellow strong defender Alex Caruso.

A reunion like this would usually not draw much fanfare, but Craig was such a vital piece of the team's identity at various points in the new era that he firmly entrenched himself as a beloved player in Suns lore.

The Suns will tip off at the United Center in Chicago shortly after 6 PM Arizona time. The game will be broadcast on AZ Family per usual and will be available to stream on NBA League Pass for out-of-market fans.