Phoenix Suns Are In Trouble Without Devin Booker
On June 30, 2021, the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993.
They ultimately lost in the Finals to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, but making it to the championship series put the rest of the league on notice and proved that the Suns were going to be a force in this league for a long time to come.
Well, here we are two seasons later and while the Suns are still one of the better teams in the league with a 20-15 record, they have a lot of problems to figure out.
Jae Crowder remains away from the team due to wanting a trade, nobody really has any answers on what Deandre Ayton’s long-term future with the team looks like even though he just signed a new four-year, near $130 million deal in the offseason and Phoenix has had to battle a ton of injuries early on this season.
Cameron Johnson has been out since November 4 due to meniscus surgery, Cameron Payne has not played since Dec. 13 due to a foot injury, Chris Paul missed a chunk of time due to a heel injury and now, their star and one of the best scorers in the league in Devin Booker is going to be sidelined for at least four weeks due to a left groin strain.
Sitting out three games following his 58-point performance against the New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 17 due to groin soreness, Booker attempted to return to the floor for the Suns on Christmas Day against the Denver Nuggets, but this proved to be very costly, as Booker left the game after just four minutes due to this groin injury that had not healed.
With Devin Booker out indefinitely now, the Suns are in trouble, especially since they are missing so many pieces.
As of right now, the Suns only have 14 of their 15 roster spots filled, but with Crowder not with the team, they truly only have 13 players on their roster.
Booker, Johnson and Payne are all hurt, so that brings their roster size down to 10 players and now Landry Shamet is dealing with right Achilles soreness that will keep him out for his second consecutive game, putting their roster size at 9 possible players.
Duane Washington Jr. and Ish Wainright being on two-way contracts gives the Suns some more flexibility, but what does this team truly have right now that makes them a threat?
Chris Paul is getting older and is not the scorer he once was even though he is still a terrific facilitator, Deandre Ayton has been an inconsistent scorer all season long, Mikal Bridges is known more for his skill defensively than offensively and without Booker, the Suns will lose close to 20% of their total scoring production from this season.
The Suns are in trouble right now and it is hard to imagine that this team has what it takes to win a championship.
Something just doesn't feel right with this team even when they are at full-strength and now having to deal with Devin Booker being out, the Suns’ front-office must find a way to get a deal done involving Jae Crowder.
At this point, getting secondary scorers and playmakers for Crowder would be beneficial to the Suns, but going out and possibly acquiring a player like John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks or Eric Gordon from the Houston Rockets could go a long way in this team once again solidifying their championship status in the Western Conference.
They’ve lost nine of their last fifteen games now ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Washington Wizards and should they lose to the Wizards, the Suns will be on the verge of being in the Play-In Tournament region of the Western Conference standings!
The pressure on this organization has grown tremendously with the news of Devin Booker being out and now, the Phoenix Suns will be one of the teams that could control how the trade deadline goes on February 9.
What this team decides to do given their injuries and what they decide to do with Crowder will dictate a whole lot of subsequent moves for other franchises in the league, which is why the timer is now running down for the Suns.
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