The Phoenix Suns will not have Luke Kennard available tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Kennard was questionable with Left Knee Tendinopathy entering tonight. Drew Timme (Two-Way) and Mark Williams (shoulder) were previously ruled out on Phoenix's initial injury report.
Kennard hurt his knee in last week's preseason battle against the Chicago Bulls and didn't play in the team's preseason finale on Saturday.
Earlier this week, Suns coach Jordan Ott appeared confident Kennard could be ready to come off the bench.
"He did more today, for sure, in practice," Ott said Monday (h/t The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin).
"This was kind of a test day to see exactly where he's at. Tomorrow will be a lower day. Try to be right for Wednesday."
However, Phoenix's rotation will have to feature more of Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Jamaree Bouyea coming off the bench,
Kennard's 47.8% shooting from deep last season paced the entire NBA, and with Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale off the roster, Phoenix will need to supplement their previous top-five shooting performance from other players.
The Suns are hoping for more volume from Kennard, and given his expected gravity on the floor, Phoenix is hoping he'll have all the space in the world to hit more shots.
However, it's not just shooting that enticed the Suns to pursue Kennard as a free agent this summer, as his playmaking also stood out to head coach Jordan Ott.
"(Kennard's) shown playmaking before in his career. Definitely last year at the end of last season, kind of sticks out in everyone's mind. But he's a really good basketball player. We're lucky to have him," he said during preseason play.
The Suns, besides Kennard and Williams, are healthy and ready to rock and roll for a second season under Ott. After making the postseason and winning 45 games, Phoenix hopes to make a jump in 2026-27.
Suns-Blazers tips at 7:00 pm in Portland.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/suns/onsi as Suns Give Final Luke Kennard Injury Update vs Blazers .
