Suns’ Franchise Record 17 Straight Wins Comes At A Cost

By Jordan Long

The Phoenix Suns tied a franchise record of 17 straight wins, knocking off the Golden State Warriors 104-96.  They will aim to break the record tomorrow when they face the Detroit Pistons.  The win though came at a cost as shooting guard Devin Booker left the game with a hamstring injury.  No word yet on how serious it is.

                Booker is one of the Suns’ best players.   He leads the team in points, averaging 23.2 points per game.  He can also set up his teammates for easy buckets with 4.5 assists per game.

                Prior to the injury, Booker was having a pretty good game for himself.  He played 15 minutes and was 4 of 9 from the field.  Booker also nailed 2 free throws.  He totaled 10 points.  With 6:48 left in the second quarter, Booker was fouled.  He made both free throws but his left hamstring was bothering him.  He was subbed out with 5:59 left in the quarter and never returned.

                Hamstrings are one of the worst sports injuries to have.  Booker could feel fine in a few days and play.  The problem is he could run on it and tweak something in the hamstring and be out longer.  The Suns need to be very careful with him.   They should just rest him until his hamstring is completely healed.  It would not help if they decided in the next few days that he is okay to go and something ends up happening in a game.  It could be a worse injury.  The Suns are only 21 games into the year.  There are still 61 games left to play.  They need Booker for the playoffs.  The Suns are a talented team that can win without him and stay in the 1^st or 2^nd seed in the Western Conference.

                With him out, the backup shooting guard is Landry Shamet.  Shamet can score at 7.3 points per game.  He has shown the ability to hit the 3 pointers at 37.8%.  Shamet scored 9 points last night against Golden State.  That number must be higher.  He should see more playing time with Booker out.

If Shamet struggles, there is another player who can step up, Cameron Johnson.  Johnson is a small forward but he can still score points, averaging 8.8 points per game. Johnson showed the scoring touch against the Warriors with 14 points.

                The Suns are in great shape even without Booker.  They know how valuable Booker is but at least it is early in the season.  It will be up to Johnson and Shamet to replace Booker’s production.  At least this injury came early in the season rather than the playoff stretch when the Suns are going for seeding or the postseason.