As a team that reached the Finals last season, the Suns continued their strong performance this season. So far, it is at the top of the league with 48 wins and 10 losses, but just when Phoenix fans are looking forward to the championship, their number one star Paul is injured again.
According to the Suns' official announcement, Paul's right thumb has a tear fracture injury, and he will be re-examined by the medical team after 6-8 weeks, which means that the 12-time All-Star point guard is likely to have bid farewell to the regular season early.
It is worth mentioning that injuries have always been a roadblock on Paul's way to win the championship.
In the 2013 playoffs, the Clippers faced the Grizzlies, the first 4 games were drawn between the two sides, in the key Battle of King Mountain, Paul had a finger fracture injury, and then the Clippers performed sharply and was reversed by the Grizzlies; in 2015, Paul maintained full attendance during the regular season, but in the first round of the playoffs against the Spurs, he strained his hamstring, although he successfully killed the opponent, the team was eliminated by the Rockets in the second round; in 2016, Paul suffered a metacarpal fracture injury in the playoffs. The team suffered a big reversal by the Blazers after winning two sets first.
After switching to the Rockets, Paul and Harden led the team through the western conference finals together, and in the face of the Warriors' advantage, he was injured again, and finally Harden was unable to support itself, and the Rockets suffered a big reversal from the opponent. So what impact will Paul's injury have on the Suns' prospects for the title? We'll see.
For team-mate Booker, Paul's injury could give him some "chances." The young shooting guard, despite being the team's top scorer for the past few seasons, has always been considered under Paul's wing, and he has barely proven his ability to lead the team alone, except for the eight-game win in the isolated zone.
Now that Paul is injured, he will have to play a more important role in this Suns team, and on the offensive end, he may need to cut more points and play a more important role in the organizational tandem. The surge in stats may be inevitable, but at the same time, if they can maintain the number one record in the West, then at the end of the season, he should be in the discussion of the regular season MVP.