The Phoenix Suns will be without any firepower for a while. After just four minutes into the game on Christmas Day, Devin Booker left the game and did not return. Phoenix will have to adjust to being out for at least four weeks as he is reported to have a sore left groin. The Suns eventually defeated the Nuggets in an overtime thriller by a final score of 128-125. Despite strong outings from Landry Shamet and Michal Bridges, it was clear that they missed going down.
Booker will be reassessed in four weeks, meaning he won’t be back until then. This is a great damage to the sun. Especially when you consider that they are currently the fifth seed in the western world and are slowly falling down the ranks. With how competitive the West is right now, players like Landry Shamet can be expected to step up significantly.
Phoenix Suns shooting guard, Devin Booker, is expected to miss at least four weeks
Phoenix title chances this season
The Suns are just two seasons removed from making the NBA Finals. However, the consensus seems to be that the Suns Championship window is closing fast. Point guard Chris Paul isn’t young yet, and questions have been raised about whether center Dender Eyten will fit in the locker room. However, Devin Booker is among the main ones. He has shown this with many explosive scoring performances this year. Per BetOnline, the Suns have +1200 odds to win this year’s NBA Finals. These are still strong odds. But without the best player, it will be useless, especially if he is sidelined for a long period of time.
Keep in mind, the Suns are battling the likes of the Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers in the highly competitive Western Conference. That doesn’t include the much-improved Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, and Lucas-led Dallas Mavericks. The team’s next five games include the Cleveland Cavaliers twice, the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors. They all have playoff chances this year. Without Devin Booker going down this stretch, the Suns will desperately need their role players to come out on top.
Devin Booker’s season so far
As mentioned earlier, Booker is having arguably the best season of his career. On the year, he is currently averaging a career-high 27.1 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.6 total rebounds per game. In addition, he is recording an effective field goal percentage of 53.4 percent. Among his best games this year included a 58-point performance against the Pelicans. He also had a 51-point performance against the Bulls and a 49-point performance against the Jazz.
That doesn’t even include the multiple sub-40 point performances Booker has had this year. In his last 10 games, Devin Booker is averaging 27.2 points, 5.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. With all of this in mind, one can see Devin Booker’s void in the Phoenix sun. Without his offensive production, Phoenix has a long road ahead for at least the next four weeks.
