At Phoenix Suns shootaround, Devin Booker talked about his calf strain, recovery process and excitement to finally share the court with the Big 3

-Gerald Bourguet

Devin Booker talks calf strain, debut of the Suns' Big 3

The Phoenix Suns' Big 3 will finally make their debut Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and it couldn't come at a better time. The team's 4-6 start to the season has been disappointing, with fourth-quarter woes fueling four separate losses.

It's been especially difficult to swallow for Devin Booker, who has had to watch from the sidelines after not playing since Nov. 2.

“Feels good, ready to go," Booker said at shootaround Wednesday morning. "It's been what, two weeks, 13-14 days, so just trying to get back. I always say rehabbing is harder than playing. You have a lot more responsibility, and I just want to go out there and play.”

It's been one injury after another for Booker to start the year, which he summed up simply as "frustrating." The Suns superstar entered the season opener as "questionable" due to left big toe soreness from a contact injury in practice. He played through that game, but then had to deal with a foot injury (later diagnosed as a left ankle sprain), which prompted him to miss Phoenix's next three games.

Booker returned for one game but was unable to scrimmage before doing so. He blew past his minutes restriction, playing 35 minutes in his first game in over a week, which ultimately led to the right calf strain that's sidelined him since.

“I think over time," Booker said when asked about when the calf started bothering him. "I was supposed to be on some type of minute restriction that game, but the game didn't go as planned. It was high energy and we were working an uphill battle the whole second half, and I stayed in most of that time after not scrimmaging.”

This time around, with two days off since their last game, Booker was able to get some scrimmaging in -- typically the last box that needs to be checked when a player returns from injury. The Suns didn't officially practice over the last two days, but Booker said he was able to get some "good bump in" with some of the guys deeper down the bench.

In other words: He's not rushing back this time around.

"I took my time with this one," Booker said. "I was coming back [tonight] if we were on a win streak or a losing streak right now. It's a long season. We're not gonna overreact. Still a lot of basketball to be played, and we're at full strength now.”

Getting to full strength has been a struggle. Booker has only played in two games, and in his third game back, he knows he'll be facing another minutes restriction -- and hopefully a more strict one this time around.

Beal, meanwhile, has only played in three games due to low back spasms, and he hasn't quite looked like himself yet either. It's been a trying process for the Suns, who've lost close games while Kevin Durant plays heavy minutes, all the while knowing their true potential.

Despite that frustration, Booker and the Suns haven't lost their perspective either. They don't need to keep reminding themselves that they're only 10 games in.

“I think it's more the fans than anything you have to tell," Booker joked. "The guys understand that. We've all been in many situations, and there's been a lot of experience here. We understand what we're going for, what we're shooting for, and we also understand the importance of regular season. It's not something that you can just pass along, and seeding for the postseason and working out the kinks during the regular season is a big part of that. You have to be able to do that while you play together. But we're going for the long haul, and we want everybody to be healthy.”

Coach Frank Vogel has been on that same page for awhile now, despite the team dropping a number of winnable games.

“It’s like when you build a house and you’re frustrated with how long it’s taken and obviously there’s deadlines or whatever, and you keep saying, ‘Hey, when it’s done, it’s gonna be great,'" Vogel explained. "That’s how I feel about it. I’m focusing on the guys we have in uniform right now, knowing that it’s gonna be great when it gets there.”

Finally, the Suns are closer to getting there. Booker will be on a minutes restriction and might have some rust to shake off after missing the last two weeks. Beal is probably in the same boat after admitting his back started bothering him again after Phoenix's last game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Their first challenge is a Timberwolves team sporting the NBA's top-ranked defense. Minnesota will be on the second night of a back-to-back, but this type of matchup won't be an easy entry point for the Big 3.

But it's still a great way to put the chemistry of that group to the test right away, even as Booker joked that he barely remembers the Big 3's two preseason games together because they were so long ago.

“Super exciting," he said. "Obviously, we were out there together in preseason, and the short stints that we got together were high energy and fun. You've seen potential there, so you finally get to test that against a real opponent in the regular season.”

Without Booker, the Suns have gone 3-5. Having their primary playmaker and ball-handler back will alleviate the pressure on guys like Eric Gordon and Grayson Allen to handle those duties, and his status as a top-10 scorer will take the pressure off Durant and Beal to carry the offense down the stretch.

Opponents have gotten comfortable throwing junk defenses at Durant, and having Booker back should alleviate his high minutes total and usage rate.

“Just gonna keep the defense honest,” Durant said. “I feel like right now, they feel like they could cheat a little bit and leave guys open and zone up, just play gimmicky a little bit. But when you got a guy like Devin out there, you gota be focused on him. You gotta be locked in on him, along with other guys on the floor. So it just gives us more firepower and just make our team complete.”

“We needed some figuring it out," Booker added. "We're relying on Kev a lot, and he was doing a good job of scoring the basketball over over multiple defenses, but that's where we can help him out, where hopefully he won't see those defenses, and if teams try to do that, we'll definitely make 'em pay.”

Durant acknowledged Booker as the guy that "makes this thing go," and after what feels like forever, that final piece of the puzzle is sliding into place. It won't happen overnight, but with 10 games already gone, the process couldn't start at a better time.

“In all ways, in all games, it would be better with Devin Booker out there," Vogel said.