Chris Paul To Miss 6-8 Weeks With Hand Injury
Perhaps the biggest news to come out of All-Star Weekend is the fact that Chris Paul is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with an avulsion fracture in his right thumb.
Currently 48-10, the Phoenix Suns hold the best record in the NBA and this is in large part because of Chris Paul’s contributions. The future Hall-of-Fame point guard currently leads the league in assists per game at 10.7 and leads the league in assists as a whole with a total of 619 assists on the season, 126 in front of Trae Young in second-place.
The final day of the 2021-22 regular season is on April 10 and as a result, Chris Paul runs the risk of being out right up until the end of the season. His status for the start of the playoffs is definitely in question at this point and without Paul on the floor, the Suns may really struggle.
Devin Booker is not a primary facilitator and putting him in such a role will take him out from being the team’s “go-to” scoring option. Cam Payne will likely see his minutes increase in the backcourt, but he has not played since January 22 due to a wrist injury.
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Elfrid Payton and newly acquired Aaron Holiday will likely step into larger roles off the bench for the Suns, especially if Payne is unable to go right after the All-Star break.
Chris Paul has been the leader of this Suns team ever since he joined them ahead of last season and is one of the main reasons they reached the NBA Finals. Without him, they really do not have a primary facilitator on the floor and this team could take a step back in terms of being the dominant team they have been all year long.
This injury to Paul has cracked open the door in the Western Conference slightly in terms of the race for the 1-seed and it has also opened up the possibility of teams gaining confidence watching the Suns play.
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Should they struggle without Chris Paul, top teams in both the Western and Eastern Conferences will take note of this, resulting in them gaining confidence for when they have to play Phoenix in the playoffs.
This is the worst timing for an injury to Chris Paul for the Suns and hopefully, for both his sake and the team’s sake, he will be able to return before the end of the regular season.
