Chris Paul successfully underwent surgery after suffering a fractured left hand against on Friday, and NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski has revealed how much time the Warriors guard will spend on the sidelines.
“…Chris Paul is expected to miss four to six weeks, sources told ESPN on Sunday,” Wojnarowski reported.
“Paul, who injured his hand in a Friday night victory over the Detroit Pistons, has the start of an eight-day All-Star break looming in five weeks to soften the blow of lost games in the season’s timeline.”
During the third quarter of the Warriors’ 113-109 win over the Pistons, Paul went for a three-pointer from the right wing and missed.
He went to try and get the rebound, but made contact with Detroit’s Jaden Ivey and grabbed at his hand before heading to the locker room.
“That’s tough, I feel so bad for Chris, I know he’s had a couple of hand surgeries before I believe, maybe on the other hand,” Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said after the game. ”I saw him holding it and instantly was worried. Just got the word after walking off the floor. So I feel terrible for Chris and obviously guys will step up and be ready to play. We’ve got to hold down the fort without him.”
Sitting at 17-18, the team will certainly need to rally without Paul, as they risk falling out of the Play-In Tournament.
Rookie guard Brandin Podziemski is expected to play a bigger role in the Warriors’ rotation in Paul’s absence.
Paul’s injury comes as Draymond Green was reinstated by the NBA on Saturday from an indefinite suspension that spanned 12 games.
The veteran forward “is expected to need approximately a week of ramp-up before returning to game action”, according to Wojnarowski.
In his 19 seasons in the league, Paul has had five surgeries to his left hand and six on his right.