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Dillon Brooks of the Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns have been without Dillon Brooks since February 21, when he suffered a broken left hand against the Orlando Magic. With the Suns embarking on a four-game road trip, coach Jordan Ott has announced the latest update on Brook’s recovery and return timeline.
Brooks was having the best season of his career before breaking his left hand in the first half of the Suns’ 113-110 win over the Magic. He was averaging 20.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
ESPN’s Shams Charania confirmed that Brooks was diagnosed with a fractured left hand and will miss four to six weeks. He was expected to return at some point before the end of the regular season despite undergoing surgery.
Suns Share Latest Update on Brooks’ Injury
Earlier this week, coach Ott was hoping to welcome Brooks back into full 5-on-5 contact. His progress fits right into the four-to-six timeline of recovery, which is great news for the Suns amid their late-season positioning battle for the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Speaking to reporters after Phoenix’s win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday, Ott revealed some good news about Brooks’ recovery.
“Ideal world, it’s not eight games or less that we get those guys (Brooks and Mark Williams) back. At this point, we’re just happy to have as many players available as possible,” Ott said, via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
“Ideal world, it’s not eight games or less that we get those guys back. At this point, we’re just happy to have as many players available as possible.”
Jordan Ott as Dillon Brooks (hand) and Mark Williams (foot) look to return during Suns 4-game road trip that begins Monday in
Rankin added that the expectation is to have Brooks, as well as Williams, ready during the Suns’ four-game road trip. It starts on Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies, which is the first game of a back-to-back. They quickly travel to Florida to face the Magic on Tuesday.
The Suns then visit the red-hot Charlotte Hornets on Thursday before finishing the trip at the United Center against the Chicago Bulls.
Suns Have Brooks-Green Dilemma
During Jalen Green‘s absence in the first half of the season, Dillon Brooks was the Suns’ second option on offense behind Devin Booker. Upon his hand injury, Green was finally healthy and returned to the starting lineup.
The problem? The Suns are 7-9 since Brooks went down with the injury. Green has been playing well, but he hasn’t developed the same chemistry as Brooks with Booker.
Since Saturday’s win over the Jazz, the Suns are just 3-7 in their last 10 games, which included a five-game losing streak.
GettyPHOENIX, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 26: Dillon Brooks #3 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the NBA game at Mortgage Matchup Center on February 26, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona.
According to Ben Leibowitz of Valley of the Suns, coach Ott has a dilemma in his hands once Brooks gets cleared to return.
“Provided Green and Booker have been an inefficient band of dueling banjos together, it might make sense for Coach Ott to play Green in a reserve role when Brooks is healthy,” Leibowitz wrote.
Leiobowitz added that Green could thrive as the first option off the bench. The Suns can’t tinker with the lineups close to the NBA Play-In Tournament, so it’s best to use what made them successful in the first place.
Juan Paolo David Juan Paolo David is a sports journalist covering basketball for Heavy. He has a decade of experience writing about the NBA and WWE. He’s currently based in the Philippines. More about Juan Paolo David
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