The last time Devin Booker and Jalen Green both finished a full game without leaving injured came against Philadelphia during that six-game road trip. The very next night, everything changed. Green hurt
his hip in Atlanta. Booker twisted his ankle. Since then, seven games have passed, and both have been working their way back.
Tonight, the schedule brings it full circle. The Suns face the Philadelphia 76ers again. Both Booker and Green are available to play.
If you are a Philadelphia fan, you are probably asking yourself, why us. And yet, here we are. The door is open for both Devin Booker and Jalen Green to play.
That is huge if you are a Suns fan. First, it tells you they are healthy enough to give it a go. Second, it addresses something that was glaring in the last game against Golden State. They needed them. Badly.
Even a limited version of Booker and Green changes the geometry of the floor. It gives the offense a true primary ball handler. Someone who can organize possessions, calm things down, and get the team into something functional. We saw what happens when that is missing. After Grayson Allen went down against the Warriors, the offense stalled. Isolation piled on isolation. The rhythm disappeared.
With both available tonight, that safety valve exists again. If the game tightens late and the Suns need offense, need structure, need someone to put their hands on the wheel, that option is back on the table. And that alone changes the ceiling of what this team can be in those moments.
The assumption is that both will be on some kind of minutes restriction, especially Booker. Ankles are tricky. That is not something to mess with. Jalen’s hip feels a little less alarming, but it still sits next to the hamstring issue he was dealing with, so caution makes sense there too.
It will be interesting to see how Jordan Ott staggers the rotations. Finding the balance between effectiveness and fatigue matters. You want them impactful while they are out there, without pushing them into anything risky or rushed.
All that said, praise the Lord. The boys are back.
