Golden State Warriors reserve point guard Chris Paul suffered a fractured left hand during a clash with the Pistons on Friday, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Surgical treatment is necessary for the injury, and according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, the 38-year-old’s recovery timeline has not yet been determined (source).
The 12-time All-Star left the game during the third quarter of a 113-109 home victory after a tussle with Detroit shooting guard Jaden Ivey for a rebound. He contributed eight points, six boards, and four assists that night.
This setback is significant for Golden State, not just in terms of on-court impact.
Paul’s $30.8MM contract for 2023/24 could have been a substantial bargaining chip, but with only a month left until this season’s deadline, it seems unlikely that he will recover in time to attract other teams beyond being considered an expiring contract.
He is technically owed $30MM in the following season, though this sum is non-guaranteed and is improbable to be picked up by any club. Nonetheless, the Warriors could still package Paul’s finances with future draft assets and a selection of young players on rookie-scale salaries.
The six-foot player is now unquestionably in a different stage of his illustrious NBA career. Throughout his 31 injury-free appearances this season, Paul has been recording career-low averages for points (9.0 PPG), assists (7.3 APG), rebounds (3.7 RPG), steals (1.2 SPG), and minutes played (27.7 MPG). Despite this, he has been relatively efficient in terms of scoring output with a shooting line of .421/.357/.854.
The second long-term injury to strike Golden State’s backcourt this week is Paul’s hand ailment. Defensive-minded guard Gary Payton II sustained a grade 2 left hamstring strain and will be sidelined for a minimum of three weeks while he recovers.
In the absence of Paul or Payton, it seems likely that the Warriors will depend even more on standout rookie combo guard Brandin Podziemski, and veteran point guard Cory Joseph is also a contender to receive additional playing time.
Image Source: Chris Paul @ Instagram
