Getty Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker
The Phoenix Suns have one of the more intriguing young cores in the NBA currently, headlined by the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and star guard Devin Booker. Unfortunately, Booker has been sidelined for multiple games now due to a hamstring injury. The exceptional scorer and talented playmaker was off to a solid start to the season but will miss Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
As The Athletic’s Gina Mizell revealed, the hamstring injury will sideline both Booker and teammate Isaiah Canaan. This will be the third-straight game missed for the 22-year-old first-round pick.
Per #Suns, Devin Booker (hamstring) and Isaiah Canaan (ankle) are both OUT tonight vs. San Antonio. Josh Jackson (toe) has been upgraded to probable.
Let’s take a look at the latest on the injury front for Booker, who’s averaging 27.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists over four games this season. He’s also posted these numbers while shooting an impressive 50.7 percent from the field.
Injury Booker Has ‘Never Dealt With’
Unfortunately for Booker, Wednesday marked his 22nd birthday, so obviously he was hoping to return to action. But prior to being ruled out for the game, the former No. 13 overall pick out of Kentucky spoke about the injury. As Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic revealed, he called it an injury he’s “never dealt with.”
“It’s an injury I’ve never dealt with,” Booker said. “I heard it can linger so just being real (careful) with it. It’s kind of like a pull. So it can happen any second. So being able to regain that trust back with it is was I need.”
Booker smiled while telling Rankin missing the game due to an injury on his birthday isn’t ideal but is “part of the process.” The talented scorer and playmaker is a key piece of the team’s future, which makes it even more imperative that he’s not rushed back into action.
Suns in No Rush to Push Booker Back, Not Cleared for Contact
Although the Suns have some major competition in a brutal Western Conference, they have a well-rounded roster capable of competing in the near future. Most are aware of this, and while they may be a season or two away from taking that next huge step forward, Phoenix coach Igor Kokoskov admitted the most important thing is for Booker to be patient throughout the process.
And as Rankin of the Arizona Republic revealed, the 22-year-old is yet to be cleared for contact as well.
“He’s got to pace himself,” Kokoskov said. “Hamstrings, you have to follow your instincts and listen to your body. You don’t want to make it do too much and just pull your muscle even more. Nobody is pushing him to do more than what he feels. He’s doing a lot of things in the non-contact, but it can jump from one day it could change from non-contact to he feels OK and he can go now. It’s day-by-day.”
Booker’s upside is tremendous and it seems he’ll be back soon. Unfortunately, the Suns have little interest (understandably) in rushing him back. In turn, it’s likely they’ll wait until he’s incredibly close to 100 percent before putting him back on the floor. The fact he hasn’t been cleared for contact yet is obviously a concern, but we’ll monitor as additional details are revealed.
READ NEXT: Suns Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Spurs With Devin Booker Out
Comments