Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Phoenix Suns must tread water without All-Star point guard Chris Paul going forward.
While the Phoenix Suns are blessed with the best record in the NBA at the All-Star Break, the defending Western Conference Champions will have to survive without Chris Paul for a bit.
Shortly before tipoff of the 2022 NBA All-Star Game being played out at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday night, it was announced that Paul suffered an avulsion fracture in his right thumb. Paul was said to have suffered this injury vs. one of his former teams in the Houston Rockets during Phoenix’s final game before the All-Star Break on Wednesday night.
How long will Paul be out for the juggernaut team out west?
Chris Paul injury update: Suns point guard out for next six-to-eight weeks
The timeline for Paul to return to the Suns lineup will be somewhere between April 3 and April 17. That means he will miss somewhere between the Suns’ next 19 to 24 games. Keep in mind that the Suns’ regular season ends on April 10 vs. a divisional foe in the Sacramento Kings. If it is indeed the later of those two return dates, Paul could be back in time for the 2022 NBA playoffs.
Assuming the Suns do not crater in their next two-dozen or so games without Paul, they will almost certainly avoid the dreaded play-in tournament. At the All-Star Break, the Suns are a whopping 17.5 games ahead of the No. 7-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Standings. Paul could return in early April, or he might return come playoff time.
This is not a death blow to the Suns by any means, but it could effect their playoff positioning.