Houston Rockets team insider Alykhan Bijani has just announced that veteran point guard Chris Paul is set to sit out the team's matchup against the Pheonix Suns on Friday.

This does not come as a shock considering the fact that a 33-year-old Paul has logged significant minutes over the past month. The last time the 6-foot point guard sat out a game was on Feb. 2, so he was due a night off. A matchup against a 16-53 Suns side is perhaps the best time to rest Paul as part of his load management maintenance plan.

Paul was out of commission for a significant period earlier in the season due to a hamstring issue, but it appears that he has fully recovered from the issue without any setbacks. Nonetheless, the eight-time All-Star is not exactly the most robust players in the league, and at this point in his career, he is due an occasional rest day every now and again.

The Rockets will be extra careful with their star point guard, as they hope to keep him fresh for the postseason. Last year, the loss of Paul due to injury in the pivotal Game 7 matchup against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals proved to be a big blow for the team as they would concede the last game of the series without their starting PG.

There are some who believe that Paul's ability to stay healthy in the playoffs this season will ultimately be the biggest factor in how far the Rockets can extend their postseason run.