Suns Injury Report: Devin Booker remains sidelined for bout against the Lakers

When the Phoenix Suns play on Friday night, it will be the first time in franchise history that the team will participate in a game that counts for the In-Season Tournament. The newly introduced tournament, which uses regular season games as match play tallies for the tournament, begins for the Suns against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Phoenix will debut their City Edition uniforms as well, as the “El Valle” era begins. The court is ready to welcome both to the Valley.

All this excitement will occur without the player who currently ranks fourth all-time in franchise history in points. Devin Booker, who has worn nearly every iteration of a Suns uniform due to his playing time during the throwback era, will not be in an El Valle uniform tomorrow.

Booker’s injury designation is “out”.

Recent rumors have been that we could see Booker back as early as Friday and our introduction to the Phoenix Big Three would begin during the In-Season Tournament. Unfortunately, it will have to wait for another day. The calf strain Booker has sustained continues to be nagging enough to negate his availability.

Bradley Beal, who played 24 minutes in the Suns victory over the Bulls on Wednesday, is listed as probable.

The In-Season Tournament is an experiment that, like the courts themselves, appears to be accepted by half of the Twitter critics and dismissed by the others. Regardless of your feelings towards the tournament, a win over the Lakers is always a priority. Given the Suns are 4-4, a win against anybody is welcomed.

The team continues to grow together and learn who they are and where they will be on the court. They will do so on Friday without Devin Booker who is missing his 8th game on the season. When he does play, he’s averaging 31.5 points and 10.5 assists. The team needs a healthy Booker, so take the time and do just that: get healthy.