Some fans predicted a rocky season ahead for the Phoenix Suns.
The offseason was far from encouraging, with Jae Crowder threatening to sit out, Deandre Ayton clearly not wanting to be there, Chris Paul claiming they didn’t learn anything from last season’s loss, and Monty Williams refusing to address any of those issues.
Of course, they could still count on their on-court chemistry and talent, and Devin Booker vowed to take another step forward in his development.
But injuries continue to pile up in the desert, and there’s only so much they can do with a depleted roster, especially with their best player on the shelf nursing an injury.
The Suns have been a total train-wreck since Booker went down, going 3-13 without him compared to 18-11 with him.
The Phoenix Suns with Devin Booker this season: 18-11
The Phoenix Suns without Devin Booker this season: 3-13 pic.twitter.com/iy36UsM07n
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) January 17, 2023
Booker is one of the league’s most versatile and efficient scorers, as well as this team’s glue guy and vocal leader on and off the court.
The Suns are currently sitting on a 21-24 record and the 12th spot in the Western Conference.
They’re just 1.5 games below the eighth-seeded Utah Jazz, so there’s still plenty of time to turn things around.
Booker suffered a groin injury on December 28, and the Suns ruled him out for at least four weeks, so he could be looking at at least two more weeks in street clothes.
But soft-tissue injuries tend to linger and are quite tricky, so the Suns might want to err on the side of caution and keep their young franchise player out for a little while longer, even if that means giving up on the season.
NEXT: The Suns Have Fallen To A New Low