We now have a timeline for Chris Paul’s latest setback.
Paul fractured his left hand this week and had successful surgery, which ESPN reported Sunday will put him out for 4-6 weeks, customary for injuries of similar types.
Paul suffered the injury during the Warriors’ Friday night victory over the Detroit Pistons, and the timeline could potentially put Paul out through the All-Star break, which will be in mid-February; the game itself is on Feb. 18 in Indiana.
The 6-foot point guard, whom the Warriors acquired over the offseason as part of a larger trade notably involving Jordan Poole, is in his 19th season and will turn 39 years old in May.
The 12-time All-Star has had 11 hand surgeries in his career, including five on his left.
Paul has averaged 8.9 points, 7.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game as a Warrior this season, putting in 32 appearances and 11 starts along the way.
Logging a career-low 27.6 minutes per contest, the Warriors will miss Paul’s point guard play in what’s been a challenging season for the famed franchise.
Paul’s injury will further allow for the emergence of rookie guard Brandin Podziemski, whom the Warriors selected No. 19 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Santa Clara.
Podziemski has played his way into the Warriors’ rotation after beginning the season with three consecutive games glued to the bench.
Podziemski has averaged 11.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per contest over his last 17 games, in which he’s logging 28.8 minutes a night.
The 6-foot-5 lefty is also shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from beyond the arc over this stretch.
As Podziemski will be tapped to further emerge in an increased role, Paul’s hand ailment also arrives as suspended Warrior Draymond Green rejoins the team en route to a return, which appears to be nearing.
Green, who hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since being indefinitely suspended after striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic, was recently reinstated and has missed the team’s last 12 games.
The Warriors are currently 17-18 and 10th in the Western Conference, which would put them in the Play-In Tournament.
