Phoenix Suns: An updated injury timeline given for Bradley Beal as he eyes a return

It appears that Bradley Beal, who has been battling a back injury, is inching closer to a return to the lineup for the Phoenix Suns.

Bradley Beal has missed all but three games for the Phoenix Suns this season. In what was supposed to be a possible final piece of the puzzle, the Suns have not been at full strength all season long. Beal, who has battled his fair share of injuries throughout the last few years of his career, has been battling a back injury through the first few weeks of the season.

Even though the Suns have lost three of their last four games this season, Phoenix has overall done a fair job in remaining close to the top of the conference without being completely healthy. Even though they've "survived" without Beal in the lineup over the last few weeks, it's still pretty clear they're in the second tier of contenders without him.

As dangerous as the Suns can still be with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant if they're going to win a title this season, they're likely going to need a healthy Beal to put them over the top.

Bradley Beal's return could be sooner than expected

The good news for the Suns is that Beal's return to the lineup could be sooner than expected. According to the most recent update regarding Beal's injury, there's hope he can make his return to the lineup within the next 10 days.

If Beal can return to the Suns' lineup before the turn of the calendar, that would be a huge win. Not only do the Suns need to get healthy but they need to get healthy with sufficient time before the push toward the playoffs.

The Suns don't just need to be healthy heading into the postseason but ideally, they would also be able to have a certain level of cohesiveness already built in before the games get real.

In the three regular-season games that Beal did play in, Devin Booker was not available. When it comes to regular season games, the Suns have not had their big three play together just yet. Considering a quarter of the season is already in the books, that's somewhat of a red flag.

Nevertheless, there could be light at the end of the tunnel. Beal could be back in the Suns' lineup within the next two weeks. At that point, we'll be able to see more and more of what the Suns could be.