Sep 29, 2025; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Bradley Beal (0) photographed during media day at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Clippers Star Believes LA Can Maximize Bradley Beal in a Way Suns Failed

Originally posted on Los Angeles Clippers on SI
By Farbod Esnaashari | Last updated Oct 12, 2025 6:25 AM ET

When Bradley Beal was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2023, it felt like the team was about to have major success with their big three of Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant. Instead, the team struggled tremendously, and Beal's career took a big swing downward.

As Beal joins the Clippers this season, everyone in LA is hoping that he'll have some kind of resurgence. However, it goes just beyond hoping; the Clippers believe they have a way of maximizing Beal in a way that the Phoenix

Clippers star Ivica Zubac believes that Beal will be a great fit in Los Angeles.

How Can the Clippers Maximize Bradley Beal?

During an interview with Tomer Azarly of Clutchpoints, Zubac claimed that Beal will be a great fit in LA because the Clippers have a real point guard.

“I think he's going to be a great fit with us,” Zubac said. “I think the fit in Phoenix, I don't think it was really good for him. He's got a real point guard now in James and now Chris too. I think that's going to make life so much easier for him.

On the Suns, Beal primarily had Devin Booker as the team's starting point guard, but the fit wasn't quite there. When the team acquired Tyus Jones, there was another renewed sense of excitement, but that didn't quite work either. In Zubac's eyes, playing with a more legitimate point guard should solve the problem.

"We saw when he played for the Wizards, playing with the real point guard in John Wall and then later with Russell Westbrook, he's a scoring machine," Zubac added. "He can get you a 30 points a night, so I think the fit with us is going to be much better and that's going to make life much easier for him."

Final Thoughts

Beal has not played a game for the LA Clippers yet this preseason and likely won't be as the team faces the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. He's expected to be a starter for the Clippers, but no one has quite seen how he fits on the team.

The hope is that Beal could fulfill Norman Powell's role as a potential 20-point-a-game scorer in the starting lineup, while also being able to play with some defensive intensity. Fortunately, Beal won't need to average 20 points a game while Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac, and James Harden are playing, but hopefully, he can do it when needed.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Clippers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: