In case you hadn't heard, there's a chance Dillon Brooks won't be able to play against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Not ideal, given Devin Booker is also missing and Brooks loves rising to the occasion of being the go-to guy on the team.
Brooks' absence gives final chance to Nigel Hayes-Davis.
Should the 29-year-old not be able to go, and that would be a disaster heading into a massive Emirates NBA Cup quarter-final versus the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, then it will surely give Nigel Hayes-Davis one final chance to impress.
The former EuroLeague Final Four MVP has been a huge disappointment this season, failing to stick in head coach Jordan Ott's rotation.
Here's a minute of Nigel Hayes-Davis: pic.twitter.com/pFhXh9jjIE
— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) December 7, 2025
The reality of the situation is that the Suns have been better than expected, and players like Collin Gillespie and Grayson Allen have been the reason why.
But with Brooks, Booker and Jalen Green all unavailable, Hayes-Davis will be given some more run to show what he can do. If he could make even 25 percent of his 3-pointers, that would be a great start.
It is puzzling that he has struggled so badly on both ends in coach Ott's system, because he has this team set up in such a way that even Allen and O'Neale look like plus defenders.
Offensively he's not big enough to bully other forwards inside, which is why Oso Ighodaro has been favored over him. The outside shot that was promised hasn't fallen either, which is why coach Ott keeps plugging Allen and O'Neale into every position he can get away with.
It has gotten so bad that even backup point guards Jordan Goodwin and Jamaree Bouyea make more sense than Hayes-Davis is a lot of lineups, which has not helped his cause.
But with the Suns needing legitimate size in the probable absence of Brooks, Hayes-Davis has to be their guy. Not better game than against the Timberwolves to see if there's anything in there.
Failure to do anything with this chance, and it is over for the 30-year-old in The Valley. This roster has already moved on without him, this is the last chance to catch up.
If he can't then the franchise might as well just let him head back to Europe, so that they can approach the trade deadline with the chance to add another player to their rotation.
Booker's continued absence means trade deadline changes are likely coming, the only question that remains is if Hayes-Davis will be around to see them. Big week.