Even with him being just 25-years-old and a player who typically avoids contact, the injury bug has managed to sink its wretched teeth into Phoenix Suns star guard Devin Booker at a variety of crucial times already during his young career.
Although Book has managed to log more than 50 games during all seven of his seasons at the professional level, one cannot help but feel disappointed with the timeliness of his injuries. Granted, there’s no such thing as an opportune time to wind up on the injury report, but that does not make doing so any less frustrating.
Here’s a breakdown of all the health issues he’s experienced during his career, beginning with his most recent ones.
Suns’ Devin Booker Injures Right Hamstring in 2022 NBA Playoffs First Round
Book’s latest injury is perhaps his most heartbreaking one. Going up against the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 2 of a first round matchup, Booker bolted down the floor to try and stop a Jaxon Hayes transition layup.
He turned around limping though, and gingerly walked off the court. It was later reported that Book would not return for the rest of the game, and that he injured his right hamstring. A day later, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said that the star guard would likely miss Games 3 and 4. He then proposed a 2-3 week timeline for his return.
There's still an evaluation ongoing on MRI results of Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker's right hamstring, but it appears unlikely he will be able to play in Games 3 and 4 in New Orleans, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 20, 2022
With Booker dropping 31 points at halftime vs the Pels in that game, only to leave early and see his team lose, it felt like a major gut punch. His title-favorited Suns now find themselves on a far more difficult path to making good on their championship aspirations.
Suns’ Devin Booker Injures Left Hamstring in December 2021
After pulling his left hamstring against the Golden State Warriors halfway through what would be a record-breaking win for the team, Book ended up sitting out seven games.
The decision to rest Booker was made out of an “abundance of caution” though, and with the Suns riding high at that moment as the league’s winningest team, they knew they could get by without him at least for a bit.
As I just reported on NBA Today with host @malika_andrews: Suns star Devin Booker is expected to miss a few games with his left hamstring injury, per sources. It's considered minor, and Suns plan to err on side of caution with a long way to go for a team with title hopes.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 1, 2021
They did exactly that, going 5-2 over the seven game stretch. Book returned 19 days after suffering the injury, dropping 16 points in a blowout victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Devin Booker’s Hamstring flared up earlier for Suns in 2021 NBA Finals
The year before that, a hamstring injury also gave Booker problems. In the NBA Finals, he began experiencing some tightness with the muscle, but played through the pain. This was his left hamstring though, the one that would flare up in the aforementioned game vs the Warriors, but not the one more recently vs the Pelicans.
But as you’ll see, Booker and hamstrings go much farther back than this.
Suns’ Devin Booker Injures Knee in March 2021
Also against the Golden State Warriors, Book injured his knee before his team’s 2021 NBA Playoff run, colliding with Kent Bazemore on a drive. He missed that year’s All-Star game as a result, but did not miss any regular season contests.
This is the play Devin Booker sprained his knee last night. First quarter Kent Bazemore drive. Knee-to-knee. Booker spent the rest of the game limping lightly. Wondered at the time if it'd hold him out of All-Star game. Leads to tonight's Mike Conley replacement bid. pic.twitter.com/uakTH3f2ok
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 6, 2021
Suns’ Devin Booker Injures Left Hamstring in January 2021
Naturally fatigued by an overtime contest vs the Denver Nuggets, Booker pulled his left hamstring with about two minutes to go in a 130-126 loss at home. He ended up missing four games due to it.
The Suns split those games minus their star guard. He dropped 24 points to beat the Dallas Mavericks after his 10-day hiatus.
Suns’ Devin Booker Injures Forearm in December 2019
Even prior to the Chris Paul days, Booker found himself dealing with additional health concerns. Although this forearm contusion which Book suffered during the 2019-20 season only kept him out for three games, it was tricky to deal with.
The Suns needed to keep tabs on Book frequently, as he referred to his healing process as “day-by-day” for roughly a week. Phoenix went 0-3 without him. He returned to score 18 points nine days after the injury, but the Suns lost anyway to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Suns’ Devin Booker Injures Ankle in April 2019
With three games to play in the season, Booker injured his ankle after taking a rough fall vs the Utah Jazz. It mattered not though, as the Suns were well outside the playoff picture, and it made too much sense to not shelve him for the year.
Suns’ Devin Booker Injures Right Hamstring February 2019
This hamstring injury hit midway through a contest vs the Houston Rockets for Booker amidst his fourth year as a pro, this time being his right one. However, it only kept him out for two games. He returned less than a week later to score 27 points against the Sacramento Kings.
Suns’ Devin Booker Injures Left Hamstring December 2018
Very similar to his game against the Golden State Warriors in 2021, Book injured his left hamstring right before reaching halftime in this 120-96 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers. He missed six straight games as a result, and the Suns lost all but one.
He returned 13 days later, leading Phoenix to a home victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, dropping 28 points and hitting three shots from beyond the arc while doing so.
Suns’ Devin Booker Injures Left Hamstring October 2018
That same left hamstring for Book also flared up against the Los Angeles Lakers earlier during the 2018-19 season. This time though, he only missed three games, which Phoenix all lost. In his return against the Toronto Raptors, he scored 18 points, but the Suns lost again to drop their seventh straight.
Suns’ Devin Booker Injures Hand/Tricep March 2018
To close out the 2017-18 season, Booker missed 13 of his team’s final 15 games for the season, laboring with a right hand contusion and strained left tricep. He underwent offseason surgery on that hand a few months later, while the tricep tightness healed on its own with rest.
Suns’ Devin Booker Injures Hip February 2018
Booker missed four straight games in early February with a sore hip after taking a knee from Cody Zeller in a contest vs the Charlotte Hornets. The Suns held him out of those four contests mainly out of caution, but they lost each one to fill out the bulk of what would become a 10-game losing spell.
After the “hip pointer” healed up following a 10-day rest period, Booker returned and put up 28 points while knocking down six shots from beyond the arc.
Suns’ Devin Booker Injures Abductor December 2017
During a 126-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors, Booker strained a left abductor muscle in his groin. Like his more recent injuries, this one unfortunately came while Book appeared to be playing his best ball, coming off 48-point and 36-point games.
The team originally ruled him out for two-to-three weeks, and he met that timeline’s latter end, returning 21 days after the injury after missing a total of nine games.
Once taking the floor again, he dropped 32 points and dished out six assists. This was the first major injury of Booker’s career, but has yet to come back and bite him.