The Phoenix Suns should be feeling good about themselves right now.
They just handily defeated a strong Los Angeles Lakers team, snapping LA’s seven-game winning streak in the process while holding LeBron James to just 10 points.
It was a needed start to a four-game road swing that includes upcoming games against the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Unfortunately for Phoenix, Devin Booker left the win against the Lakers early in the game due to a groin injury. He finished out the game on the sideline in street clothes, which is the last thing head coach Jordan Ott wanted to see right about now.
Devin Booker ✖️ Austin Butler pic.twitter.com/1YBlxkuecG
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 2, 2025
It’s unclear at the time of writing how long Booker will be out (he’s listed as being day-to-day). However, as fans already saw with Grayson Allen’s quad contusion that kept him sidelined for seven games, it's clear the organization isn’t looking to rush guys back to the court.
So, what now?
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Well, the Suns are admittedly in a rough spot. Their strength of schedule over their next 11 games is the strongest in the league. They still don’t have Jalen Green back from his hamstring injury, and eight of their next 10 games will be on the road — where Phoenix has been a mediocre 5-5 this year.
On the glass half-full side of things, the Suns don’t play again until Friday against Houston, giving them a rare three-day respite during the grueling 82-game NBA regular season grind.
The injury may also give Book time to reset from a recent shooting slump.
Book scored 11 points and dished out three assists in just under 10 minutes of action against the Lakers, reaching another milestone. The point total gave Booker 17,000 for his career. With 3,600 assists to his name as well, Book became the third-youngest player in league history to reach those totals — behind only the aforementioned James and Oscar Robertson.
Excluding that performance in limited action, though, Book had shot under 40% from the field in five of his previous six games.
Again, maybe some time away to rest and rehab the injury will get Booker back on track when he returns. But the “when he returns” part remains the big question mark.
In the interim, Ott will have to go deeper into his bench, which we got a glimpse of during the win against the Lakers.
Jamaree Bouyea, who was signed to a two-way deal in November, played a season-high 23 minutes for Phoenix after Booker got hurt. In those 23 minutes, Bouyea made all three of his field goal attempts (including a 3-pointer) for seven points, dished out five assists, swiped three steals and finished with a +19 plus/minus.
That will play.
Now, fans should not expect that type of production from Bouyea every night, but he’s going to get more minutes and opportunity with Booker and Green both out.
The Suns will sacrifice size with 6-foot-2 Bouyea and 6-foot-1 Collin Gillespie out on the court together. But if they’re pestering opponents to cough up turnovers and being efficient cogs on offense, Phoenix can rely on that tandem for a spell.
With Booker and Green both injured, Dillon Brooks will need to be the guy. He's proven he's up to the task after being acquired in the Kevin Durant trade, scoring a career-high 22.3 points per game at the time of writing with solid efficiency and shot creation to boot.
Phoenix's injury woes have already tested their depth this season, and now their situation is about to get that much more challenging.