Devin Booker will be out until late January at the earliest, leaving the Phoenix Suns with many games to manage without their star; these are three keys to the Suns managing this journey.
The Phoenix Suns play one more game in 2022 and then 15 games in January, giving Monty Williams likely 16 or even more games to manage without star Devin Booker. As the team’s leading scorer and top playmaker, not named Chris Paul, one player will not replace what DBook gives to the team. However, if the players step up collectively and individually in essential areas, Phoenix can manage Booker’s absence and remain out of the playoff play-in.
Key 1 – Suns need to do the dirty work
Losing 27+ points and 5+ assists makes the job of the Suns more difficult. As such, outscoring teams will be difficult without some good defense.
During the current road trip, when Phoenix went into Memphis, they decided to play tough defense for 48 minutes and were awarded a big win. Alternatively, in DC against the Wizards, the Suns played defense intermittently and took a punch to the jaw. Given Washington was missing Bradley Beale, it was a missed opportunity for the Suns, with or without Booker.
The results in Washington were not about the Wizards being that much better than Phoenix or Memphis the night before. Instead, the results were about the Suns and the intensity they brought as a team – in Memphis – and did not– in DC. If Phoenix is going to have any chance of staying in the top half of the Western Conference playoff race, it starts with defense.
While the defense leading to transition buckets and easy scores – as it did against Memphis – is a key to the Suns winning games, so will players picking up the scoring slack.
It is silly to think the Suns can make up all 27 of Booker’s points. However, Phoenix needs at least two, if not three, players to step up and score more than they have consistently.
Bridges and Ayton are two obvious choices
CP3 will have his excellent shooting nights and will chip in, but the reality is the Suns need both their other big contract players to step. Deandre Ayton has a legitimate opportunity to take that next step into a 20 and 10 player, as his shot attempts and minutes are and will continue to be up. Likewise, we have already seen that Mikal Bridges is not afraid of taking more shots and trying to pick up some of the scoring slack.
However, even if Ayton adds five points a night to get to 23 per game and Bridges adds five points per night to get to 20 per game, the Suns will still need more scoring.
That said, if Ayton and Bridges can take significant steps forward in their offensive games and average 20 points or more per night when Booker is out, Phoenix should be in good shape.
Assuming players stay available – which may be a poor assumption – Phoenix has enough other talents that at least one other player should be able to score 15 per night besides Chris Paul. If Landry Shamet, Duane Washinton Jr., and Torrey Craig can each take turns getting hot, and with at least one chipping in 15 points per night, the Suns could be okay, assuming Ayton and Bridges are taking significant steps.
For it to still be as early in the season as it is, the Suns have lost many games to injury this year. Booker is just the latest in a line of players missing significant stretches of basketball with injury. DBook may be out for a while; however, other Suns will hopefully be back sooner than later.
Phoenix needs to get the roster healthy
Beyond Booker, the Suns still have a lot of injured players they should be getting back before Booker. Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet are both day-to-day and could return anytime. Payne played well while CP3 was out, and Shamet was finding his stroke when he went down—losing both limits the Suns’ options in terms of ballhandlers not named Paul.
Washington Jr. recently returned from an injury, which gave the team a lift. The returns of Payne and Shamet should both do the same.
Phoenix would receive an even bigger lift with the return of Cameron Johnson. Injured since November with a meniscus tear, Johnson had surgery and has been recovering. The fact he is traveling with the team on the current road trip is significant and means he is closer to returning than not. Getting Johnson back into the team and the rotation while Booker is out will be critical for the Suns making it without their superstar.
If everyone else can get healthy while Booker is out, it will bode well for his return. Likewise, some improved scoring punches and a defense commitment will improve the team. All three are keys to success for the Suns with and, in this case, without their superstar.