The Phoenix Suns just got a bad break. In a piece of massive news that broke early Wednesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic shared that the Suns’ best player is out indefinitely due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
This is a brass-knuckled punch to the gut of the Suns, who had just taken care of business in the second round the fastest way possible, sweeping Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets through four dominant wins in a row. The Suns are headed to just their first appearance in the Western Conference Finals in 11 years, and now, Paul’s availability for that round is in great danger.
To be clear, Paul has not been ruled out yet of the Western Conference Finals, as of this writing, as they’re still awaiting the result in the matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Utah Jazz. Right now, the Suns are hoping that the Clippers-Jazz series would get extended up to seven games to give Paul the max amount of time to clear the protocol before the conference finals series commences.
Suns Prediction: Payne
If we’re talking about the “next man up” here, then our eyes should be gazing at Cameron Payne. The guard out of Murray State is not Chris Paul. You wouldn’t even mistake him for Cliff Paul. But he is someone the Suns would expect to step it up in the absence of CP3, and it’s not like the team has plenty of options.
The good thing at least is that Payne has been turning better numbers in the playoffs. Payne averaged just 8.4 points and 3.6 assists in 60 games back in the regular season but since the playoffs started, he’s churning out 10.2 points and 2.9 assists.
That assist number is bound to go up without Paul, as Payne will be asked to facilitate more than just be a source of bonus points off the bench. He’s also become an asset defensively in this postseason with his defensive rating going from 112 in the regular season down to 103 in the playoffs. It’s not going to be easy for Suns fans to accept a reality in which Payne is the team’s starting point guard in their first WCF appearance in over a decade, but he’s got the chance to prove that the team can be steady with him on the floor for extended minutes.
With Or Without Chris Paul The Kids Are All Right
In the event that Chris Paul does indeed miss the conference finals round, the Suns should still be confident in the leaders they have on the floor. The young guns have been groomed by Paul all season long to be ready for the moment.
Not many expected the Suns to take out the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. There weren’t a bunch of people walking around believing that Phoenix would shut out the Nuggets before the second round kicked off. But the Suns dominated both teams. A Chris Paul absence is a real downer, but Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges form a trio that could wreak havoc on the floor with or without Chris Paul. As an example, that 3-man combination in the playoffs has a net rating of 14.6.
Monty, Ayton, & The Holy Grail of Upsets
Lastly, people shouldn’t underestimate Monty Williams. He may have lost the Coach of the Year award to Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks, but Williams certainly can coach. His abilities will be tested without Paul as his extension on the floor, but he could shift the focus more on offense to Ayton in the low block, as the big man is just been beasting in the playoffs.
Ayton is averaging only 15.2 points in the postseason but he’s shooting over 70 percent from the field. He will get plenty more opportunities with Paul out. Ayton averaged 15.8 points on nearly 80 percent shooting from the floor in six games in the first round against the Lakers. Against the Nuggets, he scored 14.3 points on 61 percent shooting, while banging bodies with the 2021 MVP.
If the Clippers go through the second round and meet the Suns in the third, Ayton should be smiling, knowing that LA has a slim frontcourt he could dominate. If the Suns get the Jazz, life would be harder for Ayton, as he’ll draw Rudy Gobert, but let’s just say that Ayton shot 50 percent from the field in the three games in the regular season when the Stifle Tower was the nearest defender to him.
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