NBA News: Looking Into Chris Paul's Injury, Phoenix Suns' Rest Of Season Outlook

The Phoenix Suns will be without 12-time All-Star Chris Paul for close to two months, but there is no indication that the reigning Western Conference Champions are in panic mode.

Paul suffered a right thumb avulsion fracture in their fiercely-contested victory over the Houston Rockets ahead of the NBA All-Star break, and The Athletic’s Shams Charania confirmed after the All-Star Game that the 36-year-old will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks.

This means that Paul will be on the shelf for most of their remaining 24 games, potentially returning in early April against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 4.

Sports medicine YouTuber Brian Sutterer MD gave an in-depth breakdown of how Paul suffered the injury and the gravity of the situation, coming up with the conclusion that “The Point God” will likely need to have surgery to address the injury if the situation worsens.

Almost as if in a wicked twist of fate, the Suns are expected to have backup guards Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet back in the rotation against the Thunder on Thursday, February 24.

The move to acquire third-string point guard Aaron Holiday from the Washington Wizards in the closing hours of the NBA trade deadline now seems like a trade motivated by foresight.

The Suns will need to replace Paul’s production by committee, and now will be the time for them to test out whether Holiday, Payne and Elfrid Payton will all be able to step into the big shoes that the All-Star guard has left them.

This also opens up an opportunity for Devin Booker to show what he has learned from playing alongside Paul and discovering how to distribute the ball more efficiently while also seeking out scoring opportunities of his own.

"We have to figure it out. Everybody has to give it a little bit more. I look at the beauty in it. He (Chris Paul) gets to rest his legs. He gets to get ready for a long postseason that we’re trying to make happen," said an optimistic Booker as quoted by AZCentral.com.

Phoenix has rarely had to deal with adversity this season as they have been thoroughly dominating the NBA to the tune of 48 wins and 10 losses–the league’s best record.

Prior to losing Paul, the Suns were projected to win at least 65 games, but that number has now dipped to around 62 which is still an impressive outlook for a team that was the laughingstock of the Western Conference for the better part of the 2010s.

The Suns have already met the criteria of legendary coach Phil Jackson’s “theory of true championship contender status” due to how well-rounded the roster was built over the course of three seasons.

With the team dead set on winning the franchise’s first-ever NBA title this season, now is the time for the Suns to show off their championship quality by proving they can win with Paul on the sidelines.