Booker's versatility, Suns' resolve beat injuries.

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00:01So, if we're talking about the Phoenix Suns, the biggest story so far has been their struggle

00:06with injuries, and we're not even a quarter of the way through the season.

00:10First, let's talk about Jalen Green.

00:12His hamstring injury actually happened in the preseason, which gave the Suns enough

00:16time to prepare for his absence, but when he re-aggravated it in his second game back,

00:21the team was able to snap right back into the groove they had earlier.

00:25Then, look at Grayson Allen.

00:26In the game after Green got hurt again, Allen scored a career-high 42 points, but just

00:32two games later, he suffered a quad injury, and the list goes on.

00:36Dylan Brooks also missed six games with a core muscle strain, and Mark Williams has not yet

00:41played in a back-to-back set of games, which has caused him to miss two games so far.

00:45So where do things stand now?

00:47The Suns with a record of nine wins and six losses are still very much in the thick of

00:50the competition.

00:51However, there's no return in sight for Jalen Green.

00:55Mark Williams is still being managed carefully for back-to-back games, and Grayson Allen is

01:00working his way back from his injury.

01:02Here's the latest on Allen.

01:04He participated in practice this past Thursday, but the team never went into a full five-on-five

01:09scrimmage according to coach Jordan Ott.

01:11Speaking of Williams, the coach had positive news.

01:14He said the ramp-up plan for Williams has been nothing but positive.

01:17This is important, as the Suns get ready for their third set of back-to-back games this

01:23Sunday and Monday against the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.

01:27To give you some context on Williams since he last sat out on November the 13th, he has

01:32played 49 total minutes across two games, averaging 11 points and five rebounds per contest.

01:39Coach Ott added,

01:40We have to get through tomorrow night first.

01:42That's against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

01:44But I do think he's feeling better than he has.

01:47We're going to try to stay as diligent as we can to the plan, but when you see him out

01:51there, and you feel his energy and see his size, and see him productive, we all get excited.

01:56But we have to continue to stick with it.

01:59A key factor in all of this has been Devin Booker's versatility.

02:02His ability to bounce between starting off the ball, or as the primary ball handler, has been

02:07huge for Phoenix, allowing them to adjust on the fly, especially when guards like Green or Allen are

02:12out. In fact, since Allen got injured, Booker has been the only true guard in the starting lineup,

02:17playing alongside Dylan Brooks, Royce O'Neal, Ryan Dunn, and Mark Williams.

02:23Booker himself looks like he's headed for a career year as a playmaker.

02:27His career high for assists in a season is 7.1 per game, and this year he's dished out at least

02:327 assists in 10 of their 15 games. Even hitting double digits in 2 of those games,

02:37Coach Ott praised this flexibility, saying, can throw him out there as a 3-4, doesn't matter,

02:42I think he's just going to try to find a way to have success.

02:45The game's so interchangeable at this point, most lineups have fives in them, but everyone

02:50else can pass, dribble and shoot a lot of the times. Booker's willingness to play anywhere

02:54makes my job a lot easier. In our group, we found a lot, but there's going to be a lot more

03:00that we can find, especially in this stretch coming. Finally, Mark Williams highlighted the

03:05team's mentality. He explained that there's a two-way street between the injured players who

03:10stay engaged and supportive from the bench and the healthy players who want to pick up the slack

03:14on the floor. He called it a team mentality that goes hand-in-hand with the classic next-man-up

03:20approach. Looking ahead, Phoenix has its second NBA Cup game this Friday against Minnesota.

03:25Minnesota currently has the early upper hand in West Group A with a 2-0 start, while the Suns are 1-0

03:32to begin their group play. So, with all these injury hurdles, can they really carry this momentum

03:37into their crucial NBA Cup game?

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