Can Phoenix Survive Without Devin Booker?

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After missing a handful of games, Suns star Devin Booker returned to play the Denver Nuggets on Christmas Day. Only a few minutes into the game, Booker exited, and fans feared the worst. On Wednesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Booker would miss the next four weeks minimum due to a groin injury. As of this writing, Booker’s injury will have him out into late January at the least. This will be a big blow to the Suns as Booker leads the team in both scoring and assists.

Booker has been the key to the Suns’ success this season. In the last six games (including Booker’s few minutes on Christmas Day), The Suns are 2-4. On the season, Phoenix is 2-6 without Booker. When he is out of the lineup, the team’s scoring falls. Deandre Ayton, who is who is second in scoring and averaging 17.7 PPG, might not be around by the time Booker returns. Mikal Bridges has had a solid season but has not been able to step up in Booker’s absence. Chris Paul has missed a handful of games but has also seen a decline in his play.

On Tuesday, the Suns were able to hold off the young and hungry Memphis Grizzlies but did not see a standout performance from their starters. The starters were led by center Jock Landale, who finished with 16 points. Ayton finished with 15 points and CP3 finished with 14. The biggest surprise from the Suns came off the bench. With Booker, Landry Shamet, and Cameron Payne all out on Tuesday, second-year guard Duane Washington Jr. finished with 26 points, eight assists, four rebounds, and a steal, all in 24 minutes.

On Wednesday night, the Suns saw a productive night with Ayton scoring 31 and CP3 scoring 20, but that wasn’t enough to defeat the Bradley Beal-less Wizards. While Miles Bridges put up a solid 17 points, there was not much help from the other starters. Surprisingly, Duane Washington did not start after this performance on Tuesday. Against the Suns, Washington finished with 10 points in 17 minutes. With Payne and Johnson being out for an unknown amount of time alongside Booker, Phoenix is in a strange position at the guard spot.

Looking at Phoenix’s schedule over the next month, the team will face many tough competitors. Phoenix has games against Cleveland, Denver, Miami, Memphis, Brooklyn, and Dallas. With a few exceptions, Phoenix will be playing against contenders who are strong at the guard position. Currently sitting at 20-16 (5th in the West), the Suns are in a dangerous spot. At the time of this writing, three games separate the 5th seed and the 10th seed. One bad losing streak over the next month could see the Suns fall into the play-in and if all goes wrong, outside of the play-in. If Phoenix can at least hold their own while Booker is out, there is hope the team could remain in playoff seeding by the time Booker returns.