SAN FRANCISCO — Within seconds of hurting his hand going for a loose ball, Chris Paul seemed to recognize a familiar feeling. Holding his left palm, Paul immediately bolted for the locker room. Later, it was determined Paul would undergo surgery.
Paul's sure hands have all but secured his spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame, but those same hands have also betrayed him. He's now had 11 hand injuries in his 19-year career, five on his non-shooting hand and six on his right, according to ESPN. There is no timetable for his return, though it is expected he will return sometime this season.
"I just feel bad for him," Steph Curry said. "I just feel for him personally because he does such an amazing job of taking care of his body and preparing himself day in and day out. Nobody sees the amount of hours he puts in, especially at this phase of his career."
Paul's frustrating history with hands is a tale in itself, but also another punch to a Warriors season that's already absorbed plenty of blows from Draymond Green's suspension trouble, Gary Payton II's injury woes and an identity crisis that underlies the team's sheer mediocrity.
Nothing about this season has been consistent except for the increasing weight Curry and his teammates bear to duck the punches while trying to congeal as a team. Curry hopes all this makes them stronger, a real contender, before the season is up.
"This year is more of the same, different challenges," Curry said. "But a lot's gone on in 35 games. We have to stay fresh mentally, physically. Not get exhausted or fatigued. All the things you're trying to balance while also trying to perform on the court. Every season you have unique and different challenges that if a team is trying to reach its full potential, you have to persevere through. This season has been an extreme case of that."
Paul's absence leaves the Warriors without a key playmaker, especially with Green still out indefinitely. Paul started this season willing to end his career-long streak of games started to come off the bench, but was re-inserted to the starting lineup for three games to create better looks for Curry off-ball. He's filled in for Green in a system he's still learning in his first year as a Warrior.
"He's such a cerebral player," Curry said. "He knows how to manage the game, getting us organized and we had a stretch where we had tough starts, this is all because Draymond has been otu and how different we look as a team trying to run our system. CP is a great addition to that flow."
Paul also picks up the slack as a vocal leader — a self-described over-communicator — always bringing teammates together at stoppages on the court or on the bench to get on the same page or go over how a play broke down. Younger players rely on him not just for his passing — he's averaging 7.3 assists per game — but his voice, too.
"I feel for him, at the same time, it's the next man up," rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis aid. "Chris never loses his voice. Being on the bench, being able to talk to us, that's one of his best attributes and that's something he won't lose. He'll still be invested in the game, I feel for him."
Cory Joseph, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody will all take bites out of Paul's 27.7 minutes per game in his absence. Joseph and Podziemski will play more at point guard. Moody had fallen out of the rotation and sat out the Warriors' last three games until Friday, when he came off the bench mid-way through the fourth quarter.
Even before Paul's injury, crowds at Chase Center were chanting Moody's name, calling for him to play.
"You're replacing 30 minutes from Chris, so we won't replace all those minutes with one guy. We want to spread them out. I'm excited to get Moses back out there, thought he was great tonight and had a lot of energy. Great to hear the fans chanting his name. He's a fan favorite for a reason. He plays hard and being out of the loop these last few games has been tough for him, but he always stays ready."
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