Injured Devin Booker put up shots at Phoenix Suns' morning shootaround on Friday

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Devin Booker isn’t scheduled for a re-evaluation until the last week of January for a strained left groin, but the Suns All-Star was getting up shots during Friday’s morning shootaround at the team’s practice facility.

“Just to see him out on the court, I know how serious those injuries are and how easily they can spread,” said Suns wing Torrey Craig, who missed three games this season with a right groin strain. “To see him out here, even in the weight room and working out and shooting is a good sign."

The Suns (20-19) play Miami on Friday night at Footprint Center.

Losers of its last four games, Phoenix is 2-8 without Booker, who has been out nearly two weeks after re-aggravating a groin injury in the first quarter of an overtime Christmas loss at Denver.

He was sent back to Phoenix after that game while the Suns continued their six-game road trip that ended Wednesday with a 90-88 loss at Cleveland.

They returned that night, didn’t have a scheduled practice Thursday, but reunited with Booker at Friday’s morning shootaround.

Earlier in the week, Booker posted a video on his Instagram of him walking through an indoor pool that had video monitors showing different angles.

Booker’s string of injuries this season began with he missed two games at New Orleans and at Houston with left hamstring soreness. He returned against the Los Angeles Clippers to end a four-game road trip and followed that up with a season-high 58-point blast in a comeback home win Dec. 17 over the Pelicans.

Playing 42 minutes that included the entire second half against the Pelicans, Booker sat the next three games with groin soreness. Booker returned against the Nuggets to start a six-game road trip, but only played four minutes as he appeared to re-injure himself on a jump shot less than two minutes into the game.

Related: Devin Booker ranked 8th among West guards in early NBA All-Star fan voting

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, wearing black, sits on the bench next to forward Torrey Craig in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022, in Denver. Booker, who was returning from an injury, played briefly in the first quarter before leaving the floor for the locker room and then returning to the bench. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Booker hasn’t played since. He wasn’t jogging in between moving from different spots around the 3-point line during Friday’s shootaround.

The Suns are still without Cam Johnson (knee) and Cameron Payne (right foot soreness). Johnson has been out since tearing his right meniscus Nov. 4 against Portland.

Johnson had a trim procedure done on the ligament on Nov. 8, and has been progressing towards returning, but Suns coach Monty Williams said before Monday’s game at New York that Johnson has only done “non-contact” work.

“It’s all been drills,” Williams said.

Payne re-injured his right foot in Wednesday’s game at Cleveland in just his second game back from missing nine straight outings with a right foot strain.

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Injured Devin Booker putting up shots at Phoenix Suns' shootaround