Deandre Ayton has been MIA for the Phoenix Suns over their last two games. The 24-year-old has been dealing with a lingering hip injury that is now expected to force Ayton to spend even more time on the shelf. This is after the Suns confirmed the 6-foot-11 center's injury status ahead of their back-to-back set on Friday and Saturday against the Sacramento Kings and the Philadelphia 76ers, respectively.

Deandre Ayton injury status vs. Kings, Sixers

The Suns aren't beating around the bush with Ayton. Apparently, his right hip contusion is serious enough to force him to miss at least two more games. Phoenix has already ruled Ayton out for both games as he continues to nurse what has turned out to be a concerning injury.

The fact that Deandre Ayton has been ruled out for both games this early does not exactly bode well for his status moving forward. This only means that he isn't even close to returning, which should also put his status for the Suns' next game — a matchup against the Utah Jazz on Monday — in serious doubt.

In the meantime, the Suns will need to rely on Bismack Biyombo to man their frontcourt. He's going to have a tough time against two of the top centers in the game when he faces off against Domantas Sabonis on Friday, and then Joel Embiid on Saturday. It is worth noting, however, that Embiid is questionable to play on Friday against the Golden State Warriors, so he too could be out of commission for the Sixers on Saturday.