Suns’ Devin Booker out 2-3 weeks

The struggling Phoenix Suns will be without their leading scorer for the next two or three weeks. Devin Booker suffered a left adductor strain Tuesday night in the Suns' 126-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

He is averaging 24.3 points, 4.1 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game this season, which would all be career-high totals. He has also improved his field-goal percentage from 42.3 to 45.3 and three-point percentage from 36.3 to 38.3 from last season to this one in the early going.

Phoenix is a mere 9-17 on the season and nowhere near the short list of title contenders in the Western Conference, but Booker's development as a 21-year-old, high-volume scorer is one reason for optimism moving forward.

Booker is the focal point of the offense for the Suns, so this is a big blow to a team that’s already fired its coach and traded away another one of its best players. We’ll see how Josh Jackson steps up in Booker’s absence. The injury happened with less than three minutes to go in the game so we saw little of what Phoenix looks like without him, but we’re certainly about to find out more.

“I think both of our point guards, Tyler Ulis and Mike James, will have potentially more of an opportunity,” McDonough said.

“I think Josh Jackson will be thrust into a bigger role. I think Josh has played pretty well lately, especially on the defensive end of the floor.”

With that timetable, Booker will likely be looking for a return at the end of December, though that will ultimately depend on how the injury progresses throughout the recovery process.  The Suns return home to host the Raptors on Thursday before welcoming the Spurs to town on Saturday.