Report: Suns PG Chris Paul could return from thumb injury sooner than expected
Mar 21, 2022, 11:02 AM | Updated: 11:03 am
Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul could be making his return to the basketball court sooner than previously expected.
Per The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Paul could be back in the Suns’ lineup as soon as this week.
Some sources close to the situation wouldn’t even rule out a Paul return for Wednesday’s game at Minnesota, but these coming days will be key in determining the exact timing of it all.
Paul has ramped up his activity of late and was seen conducting a rigorous workout before the game against the Kings. His conditioning, it seems, is a significant factor in terms of the internal calculus here. Now, it’s just a matter of picking the best reintegration plan.
Paul suffered the injury back on Feb. 16 in a win over the Houston Rockets and was expected to miss 6-8 weeks, making April 3 the earliest he could return to action under that timeline.
But things apparently have sped up. Paul was seen shooting in practices last week and went through a pregame working before the team’s game at Sacramento on Sunday.
This was earlier today… 👀 pic.twitter.com/UoOU7hj1jd
— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) March 20, 2022
This season, Paul is averaging 14.9 points, 10.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds per outing.
Despite losing their floor general, the Suns have stayed atop the Western Conference standings, posting a 10-4 mark since Paul went down.
Point-guard duties have largely rested on the shoulders of Cameron Payne, Devin Booker and Aaron Holiday.
In his last 10 games played, Payne is averaging 14.2 points, 9.5 assists and four rebounds over 30.4 minutes.
The Suns are off Monday and Tuesday before taking on the Timberwolves on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
