WATCH: Chris Paul Leaves His Mark On and Off Court During His First Preseason Game for the Phoenix Suns

When Chris Paul joined the Oklahoma City Thunder, very few believed that the team could enter the postseason. But his consistent performance and the ability to levitate the game of those around him helped the OKC big time. Now that he has joined the Phoenix Suns, something similar, or even better, is asked of him.

Paul missed the Suns’ first preseason game against the Utah Jazz, but joined them in the next one. Unfortunately for them, the Suns lost both their games with huge margins, but they still had some good highlights to take away. 

When Chris Paul went in the zone to coach the younger gen

In CP3’s first game for the Suns, he scored 5 points, 6 assists, and 2 rebounds in 18 minutes of play. He played his minutes in breaks, recording 4-5 minutes in every appearance. The team’s head coach and a huge believer in Paul’s abilities, Monty Williams, had allowed only 12 minutes for the veteran. However, he then gave him that extra something to gain his rhythm.

Interestingly, even when Paul was not on the court, he was ‘all-in’. In one such moment, he was captured training the bench. Take a look at the video to understand the level of his commitment-

His impact on the Suns might or might not be visible through the numbers he generates, but his indirect contribution is huge.

The Phoenix Suns need some more fire

The Suns’ star player Devin Booker combined 43 points in the two games and looked strong, but not really ‘Orlando bubble strong’. Apart from him, Mikal Bridges and Langston Galloway looked good at offense. DeAndre Ayton was a force at the defensive end, but other players in rotation failed to make any mark.

Chris Paul has the responsibility to pull up the Suns’ defense work. He has to work closely with coach Monty to figure out how they can work as a unit. 

In another instance, Rookie guard Ty-Shon Alexander was seen asking for some advice from Chris. 

The Suns will next play the Los Angeles Lakers in the preseason, and that test is only going to get tougher. So Chris Paul’s new side has only as much time to gain the winning momentum.

Read also – “Getting After Each Other”: Suns Coach Shares His Amazement to See Chris Paul and Devin Booker Train Together