The Phoenix Suns received a huge blow on Sunday when it was announced that their star point guard, Chris Paul of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, would miss six to eight weeks with a right thumb injury according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Paul suffered the injury on Wednesday in a narrow 124-121 Suns win over the Houston Rockets. The precise injury according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports is a right thumb avulsion fracture.
What might be peculiar and disappointing to Suns fans is the fact that Paul actually played in the completely meaningless NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland on Sunday. Paul was wearing a wrap around his hand according to Bontemps. The Suns star did play two minutes, but did not do much. The bottom line is he could have easily reaggravated the injury.
There is no doubt that Paul has been instrumental to a productive Suns team this season. In 58 games, he leads the entire NBA with 10.7 assists per game. Paul is also averaging 14.9 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, 1.9 steals per game, a field goal percentage of .487, a three-point percentage of .330, and a free throw percentage of .843. With Paul’s injury, expect Elfrid Payton to see more time at the point guard position. He is averaging only 3.3 points per game, but fellow Suns point guard Cameron Payne is also out with a wrist injury.
The Suns meanwhile have the best record in the entire NBA. At 48 wins as 10 losses, they have won seven straight games, and have a 6.5 game lead on their closest competitor, the Golden State Warriors.
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