Houston Rockets: Chris Paul listed as questionable vs. Magic

Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets is listed as “questionable” for the team’s game on Sunday at Toyota Center against the Orlando Magic.

Chris Paul has been widely expected to return to the Houston Rockets’ lineup on Sunday for their game against the Orlando Magic, as reported by The Athletic’s Kelly Iko.

However, Paul is listed as questionable heading into Sunday’s game, and it appears that he hasn’t progressed as quickly as the Rockets had hoped. On Saturday, Mike D’Antoni told Fox 26’s Mark Berman that he is no longer completely certain Paul will play against Orlando.

Paul missed a large chunk of the beginning of the 2017-18 season with a hamstring injury and then missed the final two games of the 2018 Western Conference Finals against the Warriors with another hamstring injury.

Paul has missed 17 consecutive games with his current injury, although the Rockets have managed to go 12-5 during his absence on the back of historical scoring numbers from James Harden. The Rockets pulled off a big win against the Toronto Raptors on Friday, but they have suffered losses to the Magic and Nets in the last two weeks and are 6-5 over their last 11 games.

The Athletic’s Alykhan Bijani said that Paul will likely be held out on back-to-backs, resting in whichever game the Rockets hold the greatest advantage.

The Rockets are smart to be very cautious with Paul and they will wait until he is completely healthy before he returns to the floor. Paul has been injury prone throughout his career and at 33 years old, the coaching staff will have to manage his minutes carefully going forward.

Like the rest of the team, Paul got off to a slow start this season, averaging 15.6 points and shooting 41.5 percent from the field, both career lows. However, Paul is absolutely critical to this team’s success. He can score from inside and out, is one of the best floor generals of all-time, defends at a high level and is a great leader.