After acquiring superstar forward Kevin Durant before the NBA trade deadline in February, the Phoenix Suns were instantly considered title contenders and possibly the team to beat in the Western Conference.
Unfortunately for Phoenix, things haven’t panned out as expected for the Suns in the playoffs thus far, as they struggled against the shorthanded Los Angeles Clippers in the first round and now are in trouble against the Denver Nuggets in the second round.
As if being down 0-2 to the top-seeded Nuggets wasn’t bad enough for the star-studded Suns, Phoenix could be without star point guard Chris Paul for the rest of the series after he suffered a groin injury in Game 2 on the road.
With Paul likely set to miss some time, if not a considerable amount of time, head coach Monty Williams has to figure out how to fill the void at point guard, and it doesn’t appear he’ll be looking to Devin Booker via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
Monty Williams on Devin Booker’s ability to handle PG responsibilities if necessary: “I think it's a lot. He was probably more tired than he would admit, but with Chris off the floor, it puts a lot of pressure on him. So I got to figure that out.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 2, 2023
One of the biggest concerns for the Suns over the past few years has been Paul’s health when it comes to being available during the NBA playoffs.
Phoenix will have to move forward without him again, and it couldn’t come at a worse time, with the team losing the first two games to the Nuggets in this playoff series.
The Suns will have to lean heavily on Durant and Booker without Paul in the fold, and even though that’s one of the best scoring duos in the league today, it may not be enough to get the best of Nikola Jokic and the red-hot Nuggets.
NEXT: Brandon Marshall Made A Stunning Comment About The Suns
