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Where do the Suns go with Devin Booker, Jalen Green injuries?
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Where do the Suns go with Devin Booker, Jalen Green injuries? appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Phoenix Suns might be in a prime position in the Western Conference, but Friday night diminished any long-term hopes. After Jalen Green and Devin Booker both were injured in the Suns' loss to the Atlanta Hawks , where do they go from here?
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They are nine games above .500 and sit at the sixth seed. If the season were to end as of writing this, they would take on the Denver Nuggets in the opening round.
Granted, Phoenix's success has been a major surprise to the national media. Plenty of projections had the team winning 26 games (most notably Bleacher Report's analysis), to which they surpassed that mark .
It's sparked comments from majority owner Mat Ishbia, who doesn't feel as surprised as others. Not to mention, Suns head coach Jordan Ott is a likely Coach of the Year candidate, and for good reason.
They have a Top-5 defensive rating and Top-10 net rating. For a first-year coach, it's impressive what he's been able to do, despite the plethora of injuries.
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Only having Green for four games has been a tough pill to swallow, but it leaves them in all familiar territory.
The Suns will rely on depth without Devin Booker and Jalen Green
© John Jones-Imagn Images
Collin Gillespie , Royce O'Neale, and most notably, Dillon Brooks , have all been the pleasant surprises for the Suns. The latter is having a career year and being given the green light for just about every offensive move in his arsenal.
The post-ups, mid-range turnaround jump shots, as well as the clutch shooting, have piqued everyone's curiosity. He still brings the same intensity and desire to get under everyone's skin.
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Moving on to Gillespie, he's relished as the team's starting point guard. He might be undersized for NBA standards, but his strength, off-the-catch 3-point shooting, in addition to his playmaking, has been instrumental.
Ott gives his guys the green light to let it fly from beyond the arc. Gillespie and O'Neale have had career years from deep, and it's resulted in nearly 40 attempts as a team per game.
Going back to Brooks, he could be the true catalyst to get the Suns to maintain the record they do. No matter what, Booker and Green's absences will limit what they do offensively.
The Suns will miss the Devin Booker-Jalen Green 1-2 punch
© Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Four games aren't enough of a sample size to see how Booker and Green work together. In the limited minutes, they've unlocked the Suns' dynamic offense.
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Booker's calm and patience, mixed with Green's athleticism and up-tempo pace, complement each other so well. However, Booker's absence will do worse for Phoenix than Green's.
The latter has only played in four games, so the rest of the team has had to gel together and take on expanded roles. As mentioned earlier, Brooks, Gillespie, and O'Neale have picked up the slack.
But in those late-game situations, Ott trusts Booker to win the Suns the game . His ability to slow the game down, get to his spot, and help lead Phoenix as the top clutch-shooting team in the league shouldn't go unnoticed.
It's unclear how long both players will be out for. Regardless, they play five games within seven days. There might not be enough time to sit and mope over Booker and Green's respective injuries.
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As it has been all season, it'll be the next-man-up mentality, something that has worked in the Suns' favor all season. The All-Star Game inches closer and closer, so seeing how they handle the injuries will be intriguing.
Related: Suns' Jordan Ott provides initial update on Devin Booker, Jalen Green injuries
Related: Suns' Devin Booker suffers apparent ankle injury vs. Hawks
