Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul will miss four to six weeks after a successful surgery to repair a fracture in his left hand, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The earliest Paul can return is after the NBA All-Star break. The midseason classic game will take place in Indiana on February 18. But if Paul, 38, needs more time to recover, a March return will still give him 20-plus games to help the Warriors’ playoff push.
Paul fractured his left hand in the third quarter of the Warriors’ hard-earned 113-109 win over the league’s worst team Detroit Pistons on Friday, January 5, at Chase Center.
This is Paul’s fifth surgery to his left hand over the course of his 19 NBA seasons. Softening the blow of Paul’s ill-timed injury is the return of Draymond Green.
The NBA lifted Green’s suspension on Saturday, January 6, but he will need at least a week to ramp up his physical conditioning. He could return to action sometime next week, per Wojnarowski.
Paul is averaging 8.9 points and 7.2 assists in 27 minutes a game this season.
Without the 12-time NBA All-Star guard, Warriors coach Steve Kerr plans to spread out his playing time to rookie Brandin Podziemski, Corey Joseph and Moses Moody.
“I feel terrible for Chris and obviously, guys will step up and be ready to play,” Kerr said. “We’ve got to hold down the fort without him.”
Warriors Reluctant to Trade Jonathan Kuminga
The Warriors are reluctant to offer Jonathan Kuminga in a potential Pascal Siakam trade, according to Sportsnet Canada’s Michael Grange.
“Still, according to multiple sources, the Warriors are loathe to trade Kuminga, who is seen as a potential star who can help them win now and in the future, the rare piece on the roster who can help Golden State both support Steph Curry in the present and transition to a successful post-Curry future, should it ever come,” Grange wrote.
A window opened for the Warriors, whom TNT/Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported as a “dark horse” in the Siakam sweepstakes, after their Western Conference rival Sacramento Kings pulled out of the race, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Steve Kerr Wishes Jonathan Kuminga’s Frustration Didn’t Go Public
Kerr and Kuminga have smoothened things out after The Athletic reported the young forward had lost his faith in the four-time champion coach. However, Kerr hoped Kuminga would have approched him first before airing his grievances to media.
“Those things are better discussed behind the scenes,” Kerr said of the Kuminga report via The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “Any time something like that goes public, it creates a distraction.”
“I talked to our whole team about this. Got an issue? I’m here. I am the most accessible coach in the league, probably. My door is always open. I have players all the time come talk to me, and I encourage it.”
But Kerr tried to lighten the mood, joking about his frustration about his playing time during his 15-year NBA career.
“I played 15 years and all 15 I was frustrated with my playing time,” he jokingly said via The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
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Warriors’ Chris Paul’s Return Timetable Revealed