Chris Paul injury: What injury did the Phoenix Suns star have and when does he intend to make his return

Chris Paul's injury recovery seems to have been expedited as the Phoenix Suns take on the Boston Celtics at the Footprint Center tonight. This will be the first of two meetings between the conference leaders.

Paul was listed as day-to-day with a heel injury and was at first reported to be questionable for the game tonight, but as reported by Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report, Paul intends to make a return tonight.

"Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul - barring a setback - intends to make his return tonight against the Boston Celtics after being sidelined for a month with heel injury, league sources tell @NBAonTNT @BleacherReport" (via) Chris Haynes

The last game that Paul started in was on Nov. 7, making his return exactly a month from his last appearance. In the ten games he has played in, however, the former Demon Deacon has averaged 9.5 points, 9.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds.

The Phoenix Suns have held onto the top seed in a tightly contested Western Conference, with the New Orleans Pelicans just half a game behind them. Yet another season of Devin Booker putting on a scoring clinic complemented by back-up point guard Cam Payne's formidable performances has kept the Suns afloat as the Suns work through Chris Paul's injury.

Since Nov. 7, Cam Payne has averaged 15.3 points and 7.3 assists per game. Devin Booker's numbers have also witnessed a marginal increase, with him averaging 29.3 points and 6.5 assists per game in the absence of Paul, as opposed to 27.1 points and 5.1 assists per game with him.

The Suns play the Celtics tonight at 10:00 PM ET.

Chris Paul's injury history

Paul's injury history is fairly well documented, especially since it has cost him not one but several playoff runs, and possibly an NBA championship. Paul's lack of sustainance during the playoffs has been a widely cited criticism vis-à-vis his NBA career.

Chris Paul's injury woes go all the way back to 2006, when he missed an entire month due to a sprained ankle. In 2010, he suffered a knee issue that kept him out for 30 games.

Every now and then in early 2010s, Paul suffered injuries that kept him out for a few games, but the playoff injury woes started in 2015, when the "Lob City" Clippers with prime Blake Griffin and Chris Paul blew a 3-1 lead against the Houston Rockets. Paul's hamstring injury kept him out of the first two games of the series.

The following season resulted in another disappointing run as CP3 broke his hand and the Clippers exited in the first round against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The most notable instance in Chris Paul's injury history came during the 2018 Western Conference finals, when Paul's hamstring kept the Rockets from ruining the Golden State Warriors' seemingly unbeatable streak.

Paul was injured against the Lakers in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. While no official report came out, many suspected that he had suffered another injury last postseason, when the Suns suffered an embarrassing Game 7 loss against the Dallas Mavericks.