After Thumb Surgery, Suns' Oubre Out For The Season

After suffering the injury in the Suns’ game at New Orleans on March 16th, today Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. underwent a procedure on a sprained left thumb. His expected recovery time is approximately 4 to 6 weeks.

 

Oubre has averaged 16.9 points, 1.4 steals, 4.9 rebounds, 1.7 three-pointers, and 1.0 blocks in 40 games since the Suns attained him from Washington on Dec 17th. After undergoing a procedure on his sprained left thumb, Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is out for the remainder of the 2018-19 season. The team announced in a press release on Friday.

 

The recovery time of Oubre is expected to be four to six weeks, according to the release. The Suns’ season will end April 9th against the Dallas Mavericks. Kokoskov said that his angle in his mind and his perspective is they feel bad about it because he was, especially lately, a big part of their team and a big part of our offense.

 

He added that there is never a good time to lose a player, especially a player who’s been a significant and one of our starters, but that is the basketball life and that’s the NBA season. Staying healthy is a huge part of having a successful season.

 

With the status of Oubre as a restricted free agent, the Suns will enter the offseason expected to strongly consider re-signing him after he averaged 20 points and 5.7 rebounds per game since head coach Igor Kokoskov inserted him into the starting lineup following the All-Star break. Oubre could garner enough attention for receiving a contract worth around $15 million annually after his strong showing since departing Washington, but Phoenix will have the ability to match any offer.

 

Oubre is averaging 16.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists on 45 percent shooting since joining the Suns in a pre-trade deadline deal with the Washington Wizards.

 

Phoenix sent forward Trevor Ariza to Washington in the trade a day after a three-team deal between the two squads and the Grizzlies was botched on a misunderstanding of which players — MarShon Brooks or Dillon Brooks — were to be sent to the Suns from Memphis.

 

By: Preeti Narula

Content: https://www.nba.com/news