Phoenix Suns small forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is set to be sidelined at least four weeks following successful knee surgery, according to The New York Times' Marc Stein.

Oubre, while having a career year in his first full season on the Suns, suffered a torn meniscus in his knee last week during a matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers. The fifth-year forward out of Kansas underwent knee surgery earlier today.

The Suns acquired Oubre in the Trevor Ariza trade with the Washington Wizards in Dec. 2018 following three-plus seasons in D.C. Oubre had been a first-round selection by the Wizards during the 2015 NBA Draft.

In 56 games with the Suns during the 2019-20 season, Oubre had been averaging 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 34.5 minutes per game, shooting 45.2 percent from the field, 35.2 percent from 3-point range, and 78.0 percent from the charity stripe.

While the Suns by no means are competing for a spot in the contentious Western Conference playoffs—they're six games back from eighth seed Memphis Grizzlies entering Tuesday—Oubre's initial timeline is stressful for the desert franchise, especially after second-year center Deandre Ayton, the first overall pick of the 2018 draft, was suspended 25 games earlier in the season for violating the NBA's banned substance policy. With Oubre, and Ayton in the lineup, too, Phoenix had a semblance of a young core to trot out in the near future, including first-time All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker and bench pieces in the form of recent first-round picks swingman Mikal Bridges and small forward Cameron Johnson.