Booker ‘praying’ to return for Suns’ opener
Optimism is high in Phoenix – starting with the franchise player.
Devin Booker has set the Suns’ Oct. 17 season opener against Dallas at Talking Stick Resort Arena as a target date to return from an injury to his right shooting hand.
“I’m praying this will be ready for Game 1,” Booker said Monday at the team’s media day.
Booker was originally scheduled to miss six weeks from when he had surgery Sept. 10 to repair the fifth metacarpophalangeal joint. Booker said he noticed swelling after playing in Phoenix and had the operation a week later.
That time frame would spill over into the first two games against the Mavericks and Oct. 20 at Denver and mark his 2018-19 debut Oct. 22 against defending NBA champion Golden State in Oakland.
The $158-million man is determined to return earlier.
“I just don’t want to miss any games,” Booker said. “Obviously, I want to be out there in full health until I feel like I won’t play. That’s obviously a goal of mine to make that first game against Dallas.”
The Suns sure hope he plays in that opener on ESPN.
“Everything has progressed well so far and we’re hoping sometime in the preseason he’s able to gain usage of that right hand back for ball handling and shooting,” Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough said about Booker, who is now wearing a splint after having the sutures removed.
“Hopefully that puts him back sometime right around opening night.”
McDonough also made it clear the three-year rebuilding window “has come to a close” and his personal goal is to have “the most improved team in the league.”
The Suns have won a total of 68 games in the three seasons.
They had the league’s worst record last season at 21-61.
On Monday, the Suns let it be known they’re ready to put an end to all the losing. The Suns open training camp Tuesday at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
“I’m really excited,” Booker said. “This is really a special year. I feel like we’re at that turning point.”
They have a centerpiece in Booker and are excited to pair him with rookie 7-footer Deandre Ayton, the top pick in the 2018 draft, and second-year wing Josh Jackson.
Phoenix added veterans Trevor Ariza and Ryan Anderson, and first-year coach Igor Kokoskov is stressing defense, something that’s been a weakness.
The Suns ranked 30th in defensive rating last season.
“As a team, we’re trying to establish ourselves,” Kokoskov said. “We don’t have the luxury to turn that switch off and on. We have to play hard every night. Believe in defense.”
What Phoenix still lacks is a prototypical point guard. The Suns have certainly been looking for one.
Damian Lillard, Terry Rozier, Kemba Walker, and most recently, Patrick Beverley and Tyus Jones have all been reported as Phoenix targets to address the position. McDonough did acknowledge the team was open to trade possibilities up until the Feb. 7 trade deadline.
“We realize we’re young there, we’re inexperienced,” McDonough said in talking about Isaiah Canaan, Elie Okobo, De’Anthony Melton and Shaquille Harrison. “We don’t have the proven players there that I think we have, at some extent, two through five.”
In discussing the situation, McDonough said Kokoskov is a creative coach. He estimated Kokoskov has “100-plus plays” on his whiteboard.
“The way he thinks is at a high level, offensively in particular,” McDonough said.
McDonough is confident Kokoskov, a former Suns and Utah Jazz assistant, will find a way to utilize the talent on the current roster even if it doesn’t have a “proven” point guard.
“We’re trying to conceptually turn what you could call a weakness into a strength,” Kokoskov said. “Nobody has that much depth at point guard. We don’t have one guy that we can say this is the starting point guard. We have four point guards who could start at any time.”
Still, veteran center Tyson Chandler sees the benefit of adding a prototypical point guard. “It would for sure be a plus,” Chandler said. “I like some things I’ve seen out of the young guards, but again, they’re young guards.”
Canaan is in his sixth season. He’s coming off a fracture to his left ankle last season. Okobo and Melton are rookies while Harrison is in his second season.