Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul will miss the next couple of months recovering from surgery to repair ligament in his left thumb, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
SOURCE: Chris Paul has a torn ligament in his left thumb and will require surgery. Expected to miss 6-8 weeks
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) January 18, 2017
Paul injured his thumb Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder and had his MRI today, which determined the damage.
“Guards know. That’s the one injury we get,” Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said to the Los Angeles Times after the game. “It’s that reach, thumb, flip-back, and you know the pain. I’m sure CP was thinking the worst at that time.”
One of the best point guards we’ve seen in a long time, Paul has been tremendous for the Clippers this season, averaging 17.5 points, 9.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. He’ll be impossible to replace, but Austin Rivers and Raymond Felton thankfully both have veteran experience behind them.
If the current timeline for recovery holds up, then Paul should be available to play again around the first to middle of March.
The Clippers are currently the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference with a record of 29-14.