The last stretch of the 2023–24 NBA season is tough for the 39–29 Phoenix Suns. They will play a team beset with injuries, the Philadelphia 76ers, today. However, Phoenix will also face its own set of medical issues. According to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, Bol Bol, a forward who is recovering from an ankle injury, is anticipated to play. But two guards for Phoenix won’t be as fortunate. Damion Lee is still out with a knee ailment, and Josh Okogie will be out with an abdominal injury.
The Suns are just 0.5 games behind the sixth-seeded Sacramento Kings as things stand right now. The 42-25 LA Clippers and the 42-26 New Orleans Pelicans have created a bit more separation, and are currently 3.5 and three games ahead of Phoenix in the Western Conference standings, respectively. Point being, the eighth-seeded Suns have a legitimate shot at rising out of the play-in tournament bracket, but the club needs to improve down the home stretch. The Suns have gone just 5-5 across their last ten bouts.
The biggest loss for the club was Okogie. Since March 2nd, the 6’4″ shooting guard has not been in. In the 54 games this season that he has participated in (11 starts), Okogie is averaging a pitiful 4.9 points per game while making 41.7% of his field goals and 74% of his free throws, pulling down 2.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.9 steals. Lee, on the other hand, has not been able to play since he suffered a meniscus injury to his right before the 2023–24 season began.
Last month, head coach Frank Vogel indicated that Phoenix is hoping Lee will be able to return to the hardwood at some point this year. With just 14 games remaining on the Suns’ slate (and considering he’s been ruled out for one of those games already), he’s running out of time to do that. During his first season with Phoenix last year, Lee played in 74 contests (five starts). He averaged 8.2 points on .442/.445/.904 shooting splits, three rebounds, and 1.3 dimes across 20.4 minutes off the bench.
