Chris Paul is one of the greatest point guards in the history of the game. Nonetheless, there has always been a stain in his otherwise flawless résumé: The lack of an NBA Championship.
More than that, Paul hasn’t even made it to the NBA Finals. Obviously, that’s not on him. It takes a lot to reach that stage. The matter of the fact is that Paul is one of the unluckiest players come playoff time.
Paul often gets hurt when it matters the most. He dominates in the regular season and is on the verge of breaking out in the postseason, and then it just happens. Sadly, this year wasn’t the exception to that rule.
And, according to former Lakers trainer Marco Nunez, it’s unclear if that kind of shoulder injury will continue to bother him for the next couple of days or if it’ll take weeks to heal:
“A shoulder contusion is bruising to the area of the shoulder. The big question is if Chris Paul sustained a contusion to a muscle structure or the bone,” Nunez said, as quoted by Land of Buford. “The muscle can linger for several days, and the athlete will experience discomfort when that muscle is utilized. If to the bone (most likely the humerus bone), the discomfort can linger on for several weeks and be more uncomfortable than a contusion to the muscle.”
Paul has refused to sit out thus far but he’s clearly limited by the ailment. He’s defecting shots he’d usually take and has made some unusual turnovers.
The Phoenix Suns managed to hold his own late in the game vs. the Lakers despite Paul’s lengthy absence and it’s clear that they’re well equipped to keep on competing.
Nonetheless, their chances are slim without their superstar playmaker pulling the strings of the offense, especially against the reigning champions.
