The NBA All-Star Game officially started, before the game, Mitchell missed the game due to upper respiratory tract infection, it is worth mentioning that although Paul suffered a serious injury, he still played for the All-Star Game, only to see his wrist wrapped in tape, had to admit that Paul was a tough guy. In last week's game against the Rockets, Paul's right thumb was injured, and the Suns still attached great importance to his injury, and specially flew to Los Angeles for examination, and as a result, Paul suffered a torn fracture of his right thumb, which is not light, it is said that the injury is 100 days. Paul reportedly needs at least 6-8 weeks to recover, and then reassess the injury to meet the criteria for a comeback. It also means that Paul will miss all the remaining regular season games, which is bad news for the Suns, and without Paul, the team will have a hard time retaining the first place in the West, such as making the Suns and warriors only 5 wins apart. Some time ago, the US media also predicted that the Suns would lock in the regular season championship in advance, but the plan would never catch up with the change, and Paul's injury made the Suns' competitiveness straight down the line. Fans will say, can a 36-year-old veteran make such a big difference? The Suns didn't still have Booker and Ayton, and Bridges grew up.
Statistics never lie, Paul has played 58 games this season, averaging 15 points, 4.5 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game, and although the score is not high, it ranks first in the league in assists. And he's also a king of efficiency, with accurate mid-range shots that shoot 48 percent from the field. More importantly, Paul's key abilities, which he has played in 25 key games this season, have achieved a record of 22 wins and 3 losses, ranking at the top of the league. Paul is an experienced veteran, shooting 56% in key moments and 40% from three-point range, all above the season average, in addition, his defensive efficiency 105 is also at the top of the league, almost the same as the alphabet brother. When you look at Paul's stats, do you still say he's not important?
Of course, the data can not reflect the full value of Paul, the 2020 season of the Sun, Booker in the rematch park to achieve 8 wins, but still can not qualify for the playoffs, after the offseason team to introduce Paul, the Sun in the West stood out, in the playoffs all the way to the finals, although lost to the Bucks, but the team's strength has achieved a visible improvement, especially in the team's resistance to pressure and resilience has made a qualitative change, which is Paul's credit, no exaggeration, His numbers are inferior to Booker's, but his role exceeds Booker's, and he is the indispensable leader of the Sun. In fact, from the All-Star Game, you can see what kind of player Paul is, he never easily gets off the line of fire, if it is someone else, he will already sit on the bench and watch the play. This is Paul, a 36-year-old tough guy!