The Phoenix Suns may have been humbled badly by the Oklahoma City Thunder in their last outing, being dumped out of the Emirates NBA Cup in the process, but Devin Booker should be back soon.
The superstar upgraded to questionable for Sunday's matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, an opponent they will see five times this season.
Suns need Booker if they have any hope of making playoffs.
As fun a story as the Suns have been so far this season, the Thunder loss was a reality check for this group. They play hard every night and head coach Jordan Ott should be applauded for that.
But being a tough out will only get you so far, and it has become painfully obvious that the team needs that sprinkle of stardust Booker brings in order to start winning more games.
Dillon Brooks has done an excellent job of holding it down in the absence of both Booker and Jalen Green, but he should be the third option offensively when this roster is fully healthy for a reason.
Suns injury report vs. Lakers:
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) December 14, 2025
Dillon Brooks (left Achilles soreness) QUESTIONABLE
Devin Booker (right groin strain) QUESTIONABLE
Jalen Green (right hamstring strain) OUT
Isaiah Livers (right hip strain) OUT #Suns pic.twitter.com/iE4POyUtvz
Phoenix has slipped below league average on the season, scoring on average 114.3 points per game. That's the exact figure the team has when Booker is out there, which explains why it is trending down.
In a quirk to their schedule, the Suns' next six games are against the Lakers, Golden State Warriors and New Orleans twice, which represents an opportunity to get back to winning ways.
Booker must realize this, as he is close to a return to action and beating up on the sorry Pelicans would be the perfect tonic to falling to seventh in the Western Conference.
This season was never about making the playoffs, but when you have a chance to do so and likely keep Booker engaged in the process, then you take it.
There is also a growing case to be made thanks to how well the team have played in his absence that doing very little at the trade deadline is actually the way to go for the front office.
Worryingly the Suns have the fourth hardest remaining schedule of any team in the league, and it has become clear just how much they need Booker in order to break down those better opponents.
His inclusion likely wouldn't have changed the result against the Thunder, but he sure would have helped. The message from the franchise to their star is crystal clear, they need him to win games.