The Key Suns starter was injured before the opening preseason game against the Lakers

The Phoenix Suns are about to begin their actual 2024-25 season and have five preseason games to prepare for before things really get going. Two of these games will be against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Detroit Pistons, with a trip to LA first on the agenda.

The team has already arrived for the game – and as we’ve already reviewed, it will be a good opportunity for head coach Mike Budenholzer to try some new things with this group. Players like Damion Lee, who missed all of last season due to injury, will also likely get a chance to impress.

Coach Budenholzer revealed this Addressing the gathered media after pre-trip training, center Jusuf Nurkic said he injured his finger during one of their training sessions and is expected to be re-evaluated in a week. A setback for the group as it tries to build chemistry early, although coach Bud declined to give specifics on how much the starting lineup will play anyway.

Injuries are never a good thing – and the timing is not ideal for the group – but they provide early opportunities for two big players who could be key to the rotation. The first is big backup Mason Plumlee – who will likely start now – and who has a similar build as well as better handles, which should allow the team to play in a similar manner.

Plumlee may be 34 years old now, but in the first half of the season we’ll likely see how much of an upgrade he is over Drew Eubanks, who held the position last season. The prospect of Eubanks playing a significant role for any length of time was frightening, and the Suns were lucky that Nurkic somehow managed to play the most games of any player (76).

This also opens the door for newcomer Oso Ighodaro to get some early minutes – coach Budenholzer alluded to this when he revealed Nurkic had gone under – and it’s an opportunity he could take advantage of. There’s no better way to get on your way to more runs than battling with the Lakers’ front line, which includes Anthony Davis.

The Suns rightly don’t want to put too much pressure on Ighodaro – and fellow rookie Ryan Dunn – to step in and help right away. But if you look back at last season, that’s exactly what Dereck Lively II did for the Dallas Mavericks. It’s extremely difficult to replicate what a former Duke big man and 12th overall pick accomplished – but if Ighodaro could do even 50 percent of what Lively did, the Suns will benefit.

That’s the positive way to look at this development, although the team would certainly prefer to see Nurkic get some reps in the starting lineup early on. Point guard Tyus Jones has now been added there, and the prospect of him and Nurkic playing together is a good one for Suns fans. However, if ever there was a time and injury for Nurkic, this is certainly it.