Phoenix Suns star point guard Chris Paul is out six to eight weeks with an avulsion fracture in his right thumb. It’s a massive blow to the Suns’ who are in the midst of an outstanding season. Paul is likely to miss the remainder of the regular season but hopes to be back for the playoffs. It all depends on how fast Paul’s thumb can heal, and what his pain tolerance is a few weeks from now.
Paul has led Phoenix to an NBA-best 48-10 record, and is averaging 14.9 points and 10.7 assists per game. However, with Paul out, the Suns will need several players to shoulder the load on both ends of the court down the stretch. Here’s who needs to step up the most during CP3’s absence:
Cameron Payne
Cameron Payne played well for the Suns last season and was great during the playoffs. He’s currently averaging 10.4 points per game this season, but he hasn’t shot the ball nearly as well as he did last year.
Last season Payne shot 48% from the field and 44% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile this season, his shooting splits have dipped to 40% from the field and 33% from three-point land. Payne figures to see increased minutes in Paul’s absence, but needs to play much better with the veteran point guard sidelined.
Payne is currently recovering from an injury of his own, but is reportedly set to come back from the wrist injury on Thursday. Payne will likely slide into the starting point guard role, and will be given every opportunity to prove that he deserves more minutes.
Aaron Holiday
Aaron Holiday was traded to the Suns in the leadup to the trade deadline. Although Holiday brings a bit of sandpaper to the Suns lineup, he’s on the smaller side of the spectrum by NBA standards. He compensates for this with a high compete level and plays bigger than his size, allowing him to guard bigger wings. Holiday isn’t known for his scoring, but he’s not a bad shooter. He currently sports a 37% three-point percentage from beyond the arc. But Phoenix will likely lean on Holiday to supplement Paul’s toughness on defense more than they’ll expect him to contribute offensively.
Devin Booker
Booker is one of the most dynamic scorers in the NBA. Currently averaging 25.5 points and 4.5 assists per game this season, the good thing about Booker is he’s started to develop his playmaking skills of late. This is welcome news because, during Paul’s absence, Booker will have the ball in his hands a lot more and needs to be able to get his teammates involved.
Look for Bookers assist numbers to go up over the final two months of the NBA regular season.
Elfrid Payton
Another player that could see more time in Paul’s absence is Elfrid Payton. He’s played well at times but has also looked lost on certain nights as well. Payton has appeared in 38 games this season, scoring only 3.3 points per game.
Last season Payton averaged 10.1 points per game with the New York Knicks in 63 games. Payton can handle the ball, is quick, and has solid vision on the court. The knock on him over his career is that he tends to turn the ball over more than you’d like to see from a guard. If Payton sees extended time, he’ll need to cut down the turnovers and play under control.
The Suns currently have a 6.5 game lead over the Golden State Warriors in the West. It will be interesting to see if the Suns can hold them off over the next few weeks. It could be a tall task with Paul out, but Phoenix has the players that can step up and hold down the fort until the 36 year old is back and ready to play.
-LaMarr Fields
Twitter: @raiderway83