Suns forward P.J. Tucker may not be ready for opening night, after having undergone a successful microdiscectomy procedure on his lower back, the Suns announced today in a press release. The team expects Tucker to be sidelined for the next six to eight weeks.
Tucker, the longest-tenured Sun, appeared in all 82 games for Phoenix last year, starting 80 of them and averaging a career-high 31.0 minutes per contest. For the season, he averaged 8.0 PPG and 6.2 RPG, chipping in 2.2 APG and 1.3 SPG as well.
With Tucker sidelined, players like Devin Booker, Jared Dudley, and T.J. Warren could see a few extra minutes early in the season. However, unless the Suns expect the issue to linger well into the season, Tucker’s recovery shouldn’t have a real impact on the team’s 15-man roster decisions.
[RELATED: Phoenix Suns’ depth chart at RosterResource.com]
Earlier today, we heard that the Suns will add Mike Moser, Shaquille Harrison, and Derrick Jones Jr. to their training camp roster. Those three players will vie with John Jenkins and perhaps one or two other players for the 15th and final roster spot in Phoenix, though they’ll likely end up heading to the D-League’s Northern Arizona Suns.