The high-flying Phoenix Suns will have to wrap up the regular season without their All-Star point guard Chris Paul on the team. According to multiple reports, Paul is dealing with a thumb injury and is expected to miss significant time while rehabbing.
Paul suffered the injury during last week’s 124-121 win over the Houston Rockets. He underwent an MRI test shortly after, which revealed a thumb fracture. The 36-year-old will reportedly be sidelined between six weeks and eight weeks.
While the Suns didn’t confirm the news about Paul’s injury publicly, the team’s head coach Monty Williams acknowledged he wouldn’t be able to count on one of his best players moving forward.
“You hate it, but you’re prepared for it. This is different because it’s Chris,” Williams told reporters on Sunday. “But with that in mind, it’s also an opportunity to strengthen our team and give other guys confidence in certain areas, and when he does come back, I think we’ll be that much better.”
Even without Paul on the floor, Phoenix should be able to hold onto their sizeable lead in the Western Conference. The Suns are currently sitting at the top of the standings with a 48-10 record and find themselves 6.5 games ahead of the Golden State Warriors at No. 2.
The more significant concern for the Suns is whether Paul can get on the floor in time for the playoffs and will he be 100 percent when that happens. The Suns might face some dangerous opponents in the first round, including the Los Angeles Lakers, and not having Paul at a high level to orchestrate their offense could potentially be disastrous for their championship hopes.
Paul struggled as a scorer in 2021-22, averaging career-low 14.9 points in 58 games he played this season. However, his contributions on defense have been stellar as always while he’s also leading the league with 10.7 assists per game.
