On Sunday right before the NBA All-Star game, fans were surprised to find out that Phoenix Suns All-Star Chris Paul suffered a broken right thumb during Wednesday’s win against the Houston Rockets. The injury occurred when Paul’s hand collided with Rockets forward Jae’sean Tate’s arm on a pass. After this happened, Paul received two technicals after arguing with the officials and eventually ran into a ref seemingly on purpose. Looking back on what happened, this might have been Paul’s response to the injury.
Paul had an MRI done on Thursday, which was released to the public on Sunday. Paul will be reevaluated in 6-8 weeks.
Paul’s injury is not good news for Phoenix Suns fans. Paul currently leads the NBA in assists and runs the offense for the best team in basketball. He also currently ranks four in the MVP race. The NBA regular season ends on April 10, roughly seven weeks from now, meaning Paul’s return will likely be at the start of the playoffs.
However, the Suns put themselves in a great spot before the All-Star break. Phoenix currently leads Golden State by 6.5 games for the number one seed in the West. This is the largest lead in the conference at the All-Star break in over 10 years.
On top of this, backup point guard Cam Payne will be returning after the All-Star break following a wrist injury. Payne has missed the last 11 games for Phoenix.
During the Finals run last season, Payne started a number of games due to Paul’s absence. Against the Los Angeles Lakers, Payne played a majority of minutes in game two due to Paul’s injury in game one. In Game Two, Payne played almost 33 minutes and scored 19 points to go with seven assists.
In the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Clippers, Paul missed the first two games after testing positive for COVID-19. During these two games, Payne played a perfect role. He averaged 20 points and nine assists per game while shooting 50% from the field.
Payne understands the role he needs to play in order for the Suns to have success. This is a huge return for the Suns, especially with Paul’s recent injury. Payne’s shown that he is capable of playing at a high level in the starting line-up.
Along with Payne, guards Elfrid Payton and Aaron Holiday add to the point guard depth. Payton provides the team with an unselfish playmaker. This is important in the Suns’ scheme because Payton, who has averaged over seven assists in prior seasons, can be given the keys to the offense off the bench in Paul’s absence.
Holiday has played the exact way the team wanted when they traded for him at the trade deadline. Holiday in his first three games with Phoenix is averaging 7.3 points on 69% from the field and 60% from three. He also is a capable on ball defender.
Although Paul’s injury is a blow to the Phoenix Suns, their first-half start and depth will be enough to keep this team as a top-tier team in the West. It will be interesting to see some of the looks head coach Monty Williams will come up with due to the importance of Paul’s presence in the line-up. This is a team that is capable of continuing on without one of their top players.
The Suns will return from the All-Star break on Thursday in Oklahoma City against the Thunder.
