Suns’ Oubre Jr. has successful knee surgery, to be re-evaluated in 4 weeks

Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday to address a torn meniscus in his right knee and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, the team announced in a press release.

Oubre Jr. having surgery on Tuesday was first reported by John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports.

Entering Tuesday, Oubre was second on the team in minutes per game (34.5), third in points (18.7) and second in rebounds (6.4). Since the calendar flipped to 2020, he has averaged more than 36 minutes per game.

Oubre’s knee injury comes amid his first full season as a member of the Suns, who acquired him in a trade that sent Trevor Ariza to the Washington Wizards in December 2018. Oubre impressed then-interim general manager James Jones in 40 games with Phoenix last year, enough to earn a two-year, $30 million contract when he hit free agency over the summer.

In 2019-20, Oubre has appeared in 56 games with 55 starts and averaged a career-high 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. The Kansas product is shooting 45% from the field and a career-best 35.2% from beyond the three-point line.

Losing Oubre will throw a wrench into the Suns’ plans after Williams found a successful starting unit featuring Oubre and fellow wing Mikal Bridges. Now Saric, who started 43 of 51 games played, takes on a larger role as he starts alongside Bridges in a more traditional lineup. He has been starting in place of Oubre the last three games.

Cam Johnson has also seen a boost in minutes. He played 26 minutes in Wednesday and Saturday’s loss while reaching 19 against the Pistons on Friday as well.

Follow @AZSports