Chris Paul has been a massive addition for the Phoenix Suns this 2020-21 season, and so Charles Barkley believes he has made a case for MVP thus far. Despite Barkley's compliments for Paul, Shaquille O'Neal—to no one's surprise—disagreed with Barkley's notion of Paul being an MVP candidate.
On Friday night, Joel Embiid suffered a scary knee injury for the Philadelphia 76ers. After undergoing an MRI, Embiid was diagnosed with a hyperextended knee, which will cause him to miss at least two weeks of action.
Seeing that Embiid was the frontrunner for MVP, some believe that other players will now have a chance to gain some ground for the award. While LeBron James and Nikola Jokic have seen their odds increase, Barkley expressed his belief that the Suns veteran deserves some respect.
Barkley has long said that Paul is the best leader in the NBA and he deserves more recognition for that. In his first year with the Suns, Paul is notching 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Above all, Paul has led Phoenix to an impressive 25-11 record, which is good enough for the second seed in the Western Conference.
Despite Paul's efforts, you could make the argument that Devin Booker has compiled better numbers so far this season for the Suns. Though, it's undeniable the difference that Paul has made to Phoenix, giving them an experienced player at the point guard position.
When it comes to the MVP award, there are multiple players that have better cases to win at this moment, with the likes of LeBron James, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic leading the pack behind Embiid. Nevertheless, Charles Barkley is a big believer in Chris Paul earning the votes of the committee, while Shaquille O'Neal doesn't think CP3 has the resume this season to win the honor.
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