“Injuries can get in the web of beautiful basketball, the game of basketball. Just like you said, it’s a part of it, but it’s still tough to take” Kevin Durant did not shy away from highlighting the effect that player ailments have had on him, and potentially his teammates. Injuries have been troubling the Phoenix Suns since the beginning of the ongoing season. The absences of key players at different intervals has caused the team to currently establish a poor win record of 14-14. Therefore, Durant and team head coach, Mike Budenholzer, would like nothing better than to receive an empty Injury Report for once. Unfortunately, not only is the same far from happening, but another key player may have now joined the list.

A few hours ago, Royce O’Neale touched base on the Phoenix Suns’ recent loss against the Denver Nuggets. Losing by a score of 117-90, aka a 27-point gap, the matchup was reported by Duane Rankin to be the worst loss the Suns have experienced this season. During the Q&A session, one of the reporters asked about O’Neale’s health as well. After all, the recent game saw a drop in his efficiency rate, when comparing his previous game’s performance. This lead the player to admit that “I hurt my hip here”. However, he did assure the reporter that “I’ll be all right”. On top of that, he did not rule himself out of the Suns-Nuggets matchup. The officials set the same to take place on Wednesday, aka Christmas Day.

Royce O’Neale is the secondary small forward for the Phoenix Suns. Therefore, he has taken the offensive pressure off from Bradley Beal from time to time. Furthermore, he has been amongst the most consistent players for the franchise, having appeared in all 28 of their games till this point. His average score of 10.9 points has made him the 5 highest average scorer, for the Suns, during the ongoing season. On top of that, he accompanied those points with an average of 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Therefore, losing such a player to injury woes will not calm Mike Budenholzer’s nerves any less. After all, there are already enough players on the report that have created woes for him.

According to the Phoenix Suns Injury Report, 3 players were listed on the report for the recent Suns-Nuggets game. No update is yet provided on the conditions of Bol Bol (knee), Collin Gillespie (ankle), and Grayson Allen (concussion). Therefore, they may end up being absent during the next matchup too.

To make matters worse, Devin Booker was recently sidelined over a left groin soreness. It caused him to miss the Phoenix Suns’ last 2 games. Providing an update on his health, Budenholzer stated “There’s nothing really new to update, but, uh, you know, he’s making good progress”. When asked whether Booker is expected to return by Christmas, Budenholzer reportedly became tight-lipped. He only responded with a simple, “I have no update.”

In light of this update, the Phoenix Suns will have to make adjustments to their starting lineup.

How can Mike Budenholzer alter the starting lineup and depth chart for the upcoming Phoenix Suns-Denver Nuggets game?

In the off-chance that Royce O’Neale isn’t there, Josh Okogie and Ryan Dunn can see an increase to their minutes. Being the backup power forward to Kevin Durant, Ryan Dunn has made a memorable impression during his ongoing rookie season. In 9 games and an average playtime of 17.6 minutes, he has averaged 6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. Therefore, he can certainly assist as Kevin Durant may lead the offensive charge without Devin Booker. Speaking of Booker, everyone from Royce O’Neale, Monte Morris and (again) Ryan Dunn can receive increased responsibilities.

Therefore, given the above-mentioned updates, the starting lineup for the Phoenix Suns may look like this:

Do you think that the Phoenix Suns can still manage to play well without the potential combined absence of Royce O’Neale and Devin Booker? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.