What happened to Damion Lee? What we know so far about Suns guard's injury
With the NBA training camp about to begin, the injury bug has been actively looking for victims and added Damion Lee to the list. According to the recent press release of the Phoenix Suns, the former Louisville Cardinal will miss time with a meniscus injury.
The Suns management didn't release a recovery timeline but revealed where Lee's injury occurred:
"Phoenix Suns guard Damion Lee sustained a right knee meniscus injury and will be out until further notice. The injury occurred during an on-court workout at the Verizon 5G Performance Center this past week. Updates will be provided as appropriate."
Sans surgery, meniscus tear recovery usually takes 6-8 weeks, and if Lee decides to go under the knife, he could miss as much as three months.
The 30-year-old Lee is set to make $2.5 million for the 2023-24 NBA season and has a player option of $2.8 million for next season.
In 74 games with the Phoenix Suns last season, Lee averaged 8.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 20.4 minutes of playing time.
Prior to signing with the Suns in July 2022, Lee won a championship with the Golden State Warriors.
How the injury of Damion Lee affects the Phoenix Suns' depth chart
According to ESPN, Damion Lee is the third-string shooting guard for the Phoenix Suns behind Devin Booker and Eric Gordon. He can also play the small forward position, which he expects to play more and be a knockdown shooter from beyond the 3-point line, where he averaged a career-high 44.5% last season.
While Devin Booker and Bradley Beal will be sharing point guard duties, Damion Lee should come in to play for 15-20 minutes if he is healthy. He was also expected to gain more minutes when the Suns decided to sit their top players on back-to-back games.
The Phoenix Suns will play five preseason games: two against the Portland Trail Blazers and one each with the Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets and LA Lakers. The team opens up the regular season against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 24.