Golden State Warriors' guard expected to miss significant time

Golden State Warriors' point guard Chris Paul is expected to miss 4-6 weeks following surgery to repair a fractured left hand, first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 38-year-old is no stranger to hand-related injuries, as the veteran point guard has undergone eleven separate hand surgeries over the course of his 19-year career.

The Golden State Warriors will sorely miss Chris Paul's playmaking and game-management down the stretch of competitive games, which could prompt them to make a move as the trade deadline approaches

Paul sustained the fracture in his left hand during the third-quarter of the Warriors' 113-109 victory against the Detroit Pistons on Friday. The injury occurred when Paul attempted to rebound his own missed three-point attempt. As he lunged for the offensive board, his hand awkwardly collided with Pistons' guard Jaden Ivey who was simultaneously trying to snag the loose ball. Paul left the game shortly after, and would not return.

Averaging 8.9 points and 7.2 assists in 27.6 minutes per game this season, Paul has been essential in keeping the Warriors afloat amid all of their internal drama this season.

Oddly enough, Paul has been one of the Warriors' more consistent players this season, as he's proven to be a reliable source of offense late in games. Entering the final stages of his career, CP3 won't wow you with his midrange scoring prowess as he did in his prime, yet he can still manipulate defenses in the half-court like few others can, evidenced by his 7:1 assist-to-turnover rate which ranks second in the entire NBA.

"It's going to be tough [to replace Chris]," said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. "Chris is an all-time great and he's fit right into our team and made life so much easier not only on Steph but he's kind of captained that second unit," Kerr told the media after Friday's win.

In his absence, the Warriors will lean on Steph Curry and rookie Brandon Podziemski to shoulder the majority of playmaking responsibilities, though Draymond Green should also help in that department once he makes his much-anticipated return to the lineup.

The Golden State Warriors will look to get back to .500 tonight as they welcome the Toronto Raptors to the Chase Center in a rematch of the 2019 NBA Finals.