The Phoenix Suns could only look on in horror Friday night as Grayson Allen went down with a hamstring injury in the meaningless loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
An outcome that made sitting Devin Booker look even better ahead of the play-in tournament getting underway next week.
Allen never peaks at right time for the Suns
It is unfortunately now time to accept that Allen, despite being one of the best performers for The Valley across the last three seasons, is sadly never there when they really need him.
Make no mistake, he salavaged the first year of the Bradley Beal era by being the third best player on the roster. Allen also makes the Deandre Ayton disaster trade that little bit easier to take.
But last season when the Suns couldn't even finish as high as the tenth seed, Allen struggled for consistency off the bench.
This despite the franchise needing some of the elite 3-point shooting that he led the league with (46.1 percent) during his first season in Phoenix.
UPDATED: Suns injury report at Thunder:
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) April 11, 2026
OUT: Grayson Allen (left hamstring soreness), Devin Booker (right ankle injury management), Dillon Brooks (left 2nd metacarpal injury management) and Royce O'Neale (left knee injury management).
QUESTIONABLE: Collin Gillespie (right… pic.twitter.com/ZGmRfC6JzL
The year before, he was limited to just a pair of games as the Minnesota Timberwolves swept them out of the playoffs.
There had been times earlier in that campaign, just like this one, when Allen had been everything this group needed an more.
He was stretching the court for his star teammates, putting in a shift defensively to the point he was underrated and could even act as a secondary playmaker.
All crucial skills for a contender to have, only when the games got serious injury knocked Allen out of ever being a factor.
Which is how it looks like it is once again going to be as the regular season comes to an end. Allen has played 192 games for the Suns across three seasons, only two have been in the playoffs proper.
Every team needs those guys who in the early goings of a long season can chip in with big performances, but Allen was supposed to be more than that.
Phoenix didn't need a November warrior to head to places like Washington and Utah and put up 30 while allowing Booker and Dillon Brooks to have an early night.
What was required from Allen was being the best version of himself when it really mattered for the Suns, and it has once again been taken away from them right when they needed it the most.
Allen will rightly always have his fans in The Valley, but the timing of his injuries and the periods when he falls out of form have been tough to swallow.