The Phoenix Suns All-Star shooting guard to expected to miss at least a month with a left groin strain. So what is a more precise timeline, and how will the Suns fair without their All-Star shooting guard?
All-Star Injury Bug
On Wednesday, the Phoenix Suns confirmed that Devin Booker would be sidelined for a minimum of four weeks and will be reevaluated when that fourth week is up. Although his groin has been a lingering issue and hamstring, he has missed six of the past nine games due to these nagging injuries. He did return to the Suns’ Christmas Day game against the Denver Nuggets but almost immediately came out, only playing four minutes.
We see yet another All-Star injury this year. Anthony Davis recently went out due to a stress fracture in his right foot, it was recently announced that Steph Curry would miss a couple of weeks due to a shoulder strain, and a young up-and-comer, Cade Cunningham, had surgery this year for his leg ending his season.
The Future For The Suns
This injury was brutal for Phoenix and couldn’t come at a worse time. The Suns are currently getting devoured by injuries. Cam Johnson suffered a torn meniscus on November 4th against the Trailblazers and is on track to return soon. Cameron Payne suffered a right foot strain and has not played since December 13th; however, a return for him is also coming soon. Jae Crowder has not been with the team all year because of the news Cam Johnson would be starting over him this season. Chris Paul, who is now healthy, has also missed a chunk of the year due to a heel injury this season.
Now that Booker is out indefinitely, the Suns only have ten active players on the roster. It was reported that Landry Shamet has right Achilles soreness and would only miss a few games; however, that technically means the Suns only have nine guys dressing for games. With this Booker injury, Phoenix will lose over 20% of their total scoring production. Hopefully, in the coming days, the Suns can get a deal done for Jae Crowder and get more people on the sidelines for Phoenix.
In Conclusion
This injury is a massive loss for Phoenix; Booker has been averaging a career-high 27.1 points per game this season. The Suns look to make up those points for the next month at least. Knowing groin injuries, they can fluctuate in severity. With the Suns being contenders for the playoffs, I see Phoenix leaning on the side of precaution. Expect a timeline closer to six weeks.
