Devin Booker has steadily improved over his first three years in the NBA, becoming one of the best perimeter scorers in the league. Last year he averaged 24.9 points per game for a very bad Suns team, but found himself with not only a career-high in points but also setting new bests in efficiency from all over the floor.
This season, the Suns hope to emerge from the league’s cellar after being the worst team in the NBA in 2017-18, and Booker is the centerpiece, along with Deandre Ayton, of the optimism in Phoenix. This season will hopefully see the young core take strides forward in being competitive on a nightly basis, and for Booker it’s a chance to prove he can be productive and help the team win at the same time.
Unfortunately for the young star guard, his season may not start quite on time, as he underwent surgery on his right hand on Monday in Los Angeles. Initially, reports indicated he may miss a portion of training camp, but the latest from The Athletic’s Shams Charania indicates he could miss up to six weeks, which puts the start of the season in jeopardy.
Suns guard Devin Booker underwent surgery to repair an injury to the fifth metacarpophalangeal joint in his right hand and will miss approximately six weeks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 10, 2018
Exactly six weeks would put Booker’s return at Oct. 22, which would be Phoenix’s third game of the season (against the Warriors). Now, it’s possible he comes back sooner and also possible it takes a bit longer. In any case, it appears the Suns will spend the majority of camp and possibly the start of the season without Booker, which is unfortunate for a team looking to gel as a unit in camp with a new coach and Ayton as a new significant piece of the puzzle.
Still, it’s important for Booker to be healthy and having a lingering injury to his shooting hand would have only risked an even longer absence during the season. Having the surgery now should mean he’ll be around for the vast majority of the year, and that’s the most important thing for a team that needs plenty of game reps with their young core together.
