Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul is finally set to make his return to the court on Tuesday as the Warriors take on the Washington Wizards. This comes after Paul has been sidelined since January 5th due to a fractured left hand which required surgery to repair.
This recent injury adds to a long list of hand injuries that Chris Paul has suffered throughout his lengthy 19-year career in the NBA. The most recent incident occurred during a game against the Detroit Pistons, where he collided awkwardly with Jaden Ivey while attempting to collect a long rebound off of a missed shot.
Impact on the Team
Although Paul has only played 32 games in his first season with the Warriors, he has been a key contributor, averaging 8.9 points on 42.4% shooting and 7.2 assists in just under 28 minutes per game. Warriors coach Steve Kerr has expressed his optimism about Paul’s return, mentioning that Paul will be sharing the court with star player Stephen Curry to help reduce Curry’s workload.
Chris Paul was initially brought to Golden State to anchor the second unit, but with recent changes to the team’s rotation, most notably Klay Thompson taking on a sixth man role, the Warriors are looking to capitalize on the combination of Paul and Thompson coming off the bench. This duo is expected to make the second unit a formidable force, but there are still questions about how the bench minutes will be distributed.
Klay Thompson himself has expressed excitement about the prospect of teaming up with Chris Paul in the second unit, referring to them as one of the best backcourts to come off the bench. The Warriors are hoping that the return of Paul will provide a much-needed boost to the team as they continue their push towards the playoffs.
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