After a stellar first quarter, Devin Booker exited the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, and soon after, we learned a groin injury was to blame. Phoenix outscored the Lakers 95–77 from the second quarter on and cruised to a 17-point win, but they did it with Booker sitting on the sidelines in street clothes.
As for the severity, Shams Charania reported that the injury is expected to cost Booker and the Suns one week of time. At least.
We know Devin Booker has dealt with soft tissue trouble before.
Last season, he tweaked his groin in late December, and it cost him five games. In 2023, he tweaked his hamstring, sat for two games, came back for two, then re-aggravated the injury. That setback cost him 21 games, and for a team that had won 64 games the year before, they went 10–11 without him. He eventually returned, but the team had shifted as they soon traded for Kevin Durant.
The challenge now grows heavier for the Suns. They are still without Jalen Green, who is dealing with his own muscle-based injury after logging only 30 minutes across two games. And the team is heading into a brutal stretch.
They play Houston on Friday, then the Timberwolves next Monday. After that comes the NBA Cup, where they head into Oklahoma City to face the defending champions. Based on what we know, you can see a world where Booker returns for that quarterfinal matchup.
The “reevaluation” label keeps the timeline murky. Maybe he is back for OKC. Maybe he needs more time. Whatever the case, he needs to be right. There is no reason to bring him back early. Devin rushed back in 2023 and it cost him 21 games. No one wants a repeat of that.