Kelly Oubre Jr. out for Suns’ first game in Orlando vs. Wizards
Jul 30, 2020, 6:28 PM
Kelly Oubre Jr. #3 of the Phoenix Suns motions to the crowd against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on February 24, 2020 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns wing Kelly Oubre Jr. is listed as out for the Suns’ return to action on Friday against the Washington Wizards.
After head coach Monty Williams had been providing updates on what Oubre was doing in practice and how he was doing, he declined to provide any on two different occasions this week.
Oubre has been recovering from surgery he had on his meniscus in early March, a rehab process that had been stalled due to the quarantine period away from the training staff and team.
Suns owner Robert Sarver originally said Oubre would play in early June on Arizona Sports before The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported in mid-June that Oubre was “expected” to miss the rest of the season.
RELATED STORIES
Despite that report, no official ruling came from the Suns that Oubre was out, and both Williams and general manager James Jones spoke as if they weren’t ready to shut the door on Oubre possibly playing.
Speaking with the media for the first time since the surgery on July 14, Oubre said he “feels fine” and that it was on the Suns’ training staff to decide if he can play.
Williams’ last update on Oubre was that he was mostly off to the side during practice, not yet participating in 3-on-3 or 5-on-5 action.
Also out on the Suns’ injury report was guard Jalen Lecque, who is quarantining after arriving in Orlando.
Dario Saric was not on the injury report after injuring his left ankle in Tuesday’s scrimmage, and neither was Aron Baynes. Baynes, though, is technically not injured and is getting his conditioning back after practicing with the team for the first time on Thursday.
The Suns’ season gets underway once again on Friday against the Wizards, with a 1 p.m. start you can hear on ESPN 620 AM.
