Booker reportedly has Grade 1 hamstring strain, could miss 2-3 weeks

While the Suns confirmed Devin Booker suffered a “mild hamstring strain” in Game 2, the team would not put out a timeline for his return.

That timeline is weeks, not days, because he has a Grade 1 strain, reports Brian Windhorst at ESPN.

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker has suffered a Grade 1 right hamstring strain and could miss 2-3 weeks, sources told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on Thursday. Sources told ESPN on Wednesday that Booker would likely miss Games 3 and 4 against the New Orleans Pelicans and that the Suns were still evaluating his MRI results to get a full picture of the injury and a clearer timeline for a return.

Even within a hamstring strain grade there are degrees and varied return times. Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes put the timeline in perspective in his database.

This season the average time lost for nondescript hamstring strains in the NBA was 12 days (median 8.5, minimum 1 day), including the 19 games Booker sat in early December. Those numbers are in-line with the 100+ comparable injuries recorded during the last 5 82-game seasons.

— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) April 20, 2022

[Ed. note, Booker was out 19 days, but only seven games.]

What is becoming clear is that Booker will miss Games 3 and 4 in New Orleans of this first-round series, which is currently tied 1-1.

Booker injured his hamstring in the third quarter trying a chase-down block on Jaxson Hayes.

here it is - jumps weird pic.twitter.com/uQH8PfgilX

— subtle alterity (@SubtleAlterity) April 20, 2022

The Suns have no choice but to monitor his recovery and wait. Hamstring injuries are tricky because a player can be pain-free and walk or even jog without trouble but not be ready for the explosive moves needed in a basketball game. Come back too early and a player could suffer a re-injury worse than the original, something the Suns cannot afford this postseason.