No doubt we're all missing Devin Booker right now. Even more so after Kevin Durant got vocal as the Houston Rockets put the boot to the Phoenix Suns in his absence on Friday night.
Booker currently has a groin strain that thankfully is not serious, and without him you can see just how much the Suns struggle. They still give their all and Dillon Brooks is having a career year, but it's just not the same.
Booker may be back for cup quarter-final versus Oklahoma City Thunder.
Already we said that Booker was likely going to be ruled out of the Emirates NBA Cup quarter-final versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, but we might have to walk that one back. Ott telling the media after the loss to the Rockets that;
"If his body is feeling good and he's in a good place, he'll absolutely be available". Interesting. Also worth noting is the fact Booker made the trip to Houston for that loss and will surely be there when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves ahead of meeting the Thunder.
Suns coach Jordan Ott on Devin Booker (right groin strain): "We'll continue to assess him day-by-day, but he's been through this before. So he knows exactly where he's at and his body and he's made good progress in a short amount of time."
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) December 5, 2025
On possible availability for NBA Cup… pic.twitter.com/zfKlQv2lgB
If Booker could make it back for that one, it would be huge. They only lost by four points to the Thunder in their most recent meeting, and they have to lose another game sometime.
The Suns are the kind of team they hate to see coming, because they also have a never say die attitude when it comes to defending and will chase after plays that look beyond them.
They obviously don't have close to the talent level or depth of the defending champions, but don't tell Brooks or Collin Gillespie that. Center Mark Williams will also likely play as it won't be a back-to-back.
But if they could just have Booker out there to give them 25, then it would give them a real chance of making it to Las Vegas for the Final Four. The superstar had been in a slump prior to going down, and this break may have been just what he needed to regain his form.
We also know that Booker is going to play if he thinks he can, and throughout this process coach Ott has repeatedly stressed how well he knows his own body. He won't risk making it worse either, so if he does suit up you know it is for real.
At a time when the games are coming thick and fast and the group is faltering a little, this is exactly the update The Valley wants to hear. An extended cup run giving real life to the early goings of the season for the Suns, and they don't want it to end yet.