What began as a routine matchup for the Phoenix Suns against the Los Angeles Lakers changed tone when Devin Booker abruptly made his way to the locker room before the second quarter. There was no obvious collision or dramatic fall, but the exit was enough to spark concern. For a player as composed as the 29-year-old superstar, any sign of discomfort stands out.

“Devin Booker (groin) won’t return Monday,” Underdog reported, relaying the Suns’ report on Booker’s condition: a groin strain. The designation offered some clarity but also created new uncertainty, especially since Booker has a history of soft tissue injuries, including a hamstring in 2022 and a groin strain in 2024. For now, the severity remains undetermined.

Up to the moment he exited, Booker had been leading his team in typical fashion. Across his 10 minutes, he tallied 11 points and three assists, adding two rebounds and a three-pointer as Phoenix benefited from his presence, keeping the game against the Lakers close.

This is especially unfortunate considering the milestone Booker reached tonight. After his scoring in the first quarter, the 11th-year veteran became the third-youngest player to reach 17,000 points and 3,600 assists, behind only LeBron James and Oscar Robertson.

Booker’s playmaking in particular has developed exceptionally well, starting in the 2023-24 season, when he took on full-time point guard duties after the Bradley Beal trade, and has averaged seven assists over the last three years. In fact, it would not be out of question to think of him more as a point guard than a shooting guard, which has been his position almost his whole career.

Now, with him out, the Suns are expected to rely on Collin Gillespie and Dillon Brooks in his absence. Brooks in particular has stepped up well tonight, scoring 33 in three quarters, with Royce O’Neale adding 10 assists.

At the time of writing, Phoenix leads 96-77 and hopes to close out the game for an upset win without its franchise cornerstone.

Devin Booker’s Shooting Challenges Pose an Issue as the Phoenix Suns Face a Tough Schedule

After a cold shooting night during a loss to the Denver Nuggets, Devin Booker put the responsibility squarely on his shoulders.

“I’m still getting shots that I have to make,” the Suns star told reporters after the game, and his frustration is evident if you look at the numbers. Over the last 12 games, the Suns’ star has shot just 40.7% from the field, dropping his points per game to 22.3 from his season average of 25.7.

What’s even worse is the three-point shooting: 20.3% on 5.3 attempts, meaning that out of his 64 total attempts beyond the arc, he only connected on 13 of them. And it’s not as if he isn’t getting clean looks.

“They’re putting two on him,” Suns head coach Jordan Ott said after the team’s loss to Denver. “As soon as he gets in the arc, it’s more than two, so he continues to make the right play… Yeah, we’ll continue to look at it.”

Now, Phoenix faces multiple contenders before Christmas: the Houston Rockets, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Warriors twice in a row before returning to LA. Only time will tell if they can survive without their floor general.