PHOENIX– Seven games. That's how many Phoenix Suns sniper Grayson Allen missed due to a quad injury, but it felt longer than he expected. What started as incidental contact on a drive to the basket led to roughly two to three weeks of missed time.
When recovery seemed to be trending positively, it took a step back. However, he made his first appearance since November 13 against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
Although he went 3-13 from the field against Denver, he had plenty of looks that didn't go down. After all, Allen did have a Suns masterclass earlier in the month with a 42-point gem.
Regardless of the stat line, he looked comfortable with the starting unit and didn't show any signs of a lingering injury. Still, the sniper explained a little more about his injury recovery.
“I kept feeling like it was 1 or 2 days away, and that 1 or 2 days turned into another 1 or 2 days, and that’s just kind of how it went,” Allen said in the team's locker room postgame.
“But it was also kind of helpful because I was able to do a good amount of basketball stuff for the majority of the time, so I didn’t feel like I had to ramp back up or anything crazy.”
Grayson Allen shared with @amanda_pflugrad how he remained patient with the healing process with his right quad contusion.
“I kept feeling like it was 1 or 2 days away, and that 1 or 2 days turned into another 1 or 2 days, and that’s just kind of how it went. But it was also… pic.twitter.com/jtHxqYDd5P
— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) November 30, 2025
Grayson Allen brings spacing back to the Suns
Even though Phoenix continues to show its offensive creativity, losing Allen has forced them to get even more creative. At the same time, it proves how valuable the over 40% 3-point shooter is.
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Guys like Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks have had their space more restricted. They're consistently being double-teamed and have to force an array of particularly inefficient shots.
But this is where Allen's return comes into play. His role as not only a shooter, but a floor spacer who opens up driving and cutting lanes, and can even allow the Suns to play a potentially 5-out offense.
Despite the hypotheticals and what he could bring, he admits that the frustration over how his injury took place was what really ate at him.
“It was really frustrating, especially since this is another freak one,” Allen said. “Didn't feel like it was a crazy play. There really wasn't anything I could have done preseason or over the summer to feel like I could have prevented that one. It was just a wrong place, wrong time, getting hit at the wrong spot, so just an unfortunate play.
“So, it was frustrating, but we had a ton of great wins and a bunch of guys stepped up. It was definitely fun to watch those guys go out there and battle, but I'm glad I was back tonight.”
Allen will be good to go for the Suns game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. He might've knocked the rust off on Saturday, so Phoenix could see another vintage performance in the City of Angels.