Brandon Knight Will Not Play Rest of Suns' Season Due to Back Injury

Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight is being shut down for the rest of this season. 

Per Doug Haller of AZ Central Sports, Suns head coach Earl Watson announced Watson would not play in the Suns' final 14 games.

Knight has been battling back spasms and hasn't appeared in a game since February 15. Kevin Zimmerman of Arizona Sports reported Knight was asked to play in Wednesday's game against the Sacramento Kings but declined due to his injury. 

Bothered by a groin issue all of last season, Knight was shut down in April when he underwent surgery to treat a sports hernia. All told, the Kentucky product appeared in just 52 games. 

However, the combo-guard did post some solid numbers when healthy, averaging a career-high 19.6 points to go with 5.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game last season. He also shot 41.5 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from three-point range.

Knight was one of 11 players in the league who averaged at least 19 points, five dimes and one steal a night during the 2015-16 season. 

This season was a different story for the 25-year-old. He averaged a career-low 21.1 minutes per game in 54 appearances and shot under 40 percent overall for the first time. 

With Knight and Eric Bledsoe out of the Suns' lineup, an already-disastrous season for the franchise is finding new lows to hit. Tyler Ulis will take on a more prominent role in the offense, but they are badly lacking depth at point guard behind the rookie.