Chris Paul Injury: Updates on Clippers Star's Ribs and Return

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul suffered a rib injury during a Nov. 30 game against the Portland Trail Blazers. However, he is ready to return to the court.

Continue for updates.

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Latest on Paul's Playing Status 

Monday, Dec. 7

Paul will play against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reported.

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How Paul's Injury Impacts Clippers

The 30-year-old veteran is arguably the best pure point guard in the game, and he is enjoying another strong season with nightly averages of 17.5 points, 8.4 assists and 1.6 steals coming into the Nov. 30 contest.

Paul has all the makings of a future Hall of Famer with career averages of roughly 19 points and 10 assists per game, and as pointed out by ESPN Stats & Info, he is on pace to be one of the greatest distributors of all time:

However, the one thing that has held him back at times over the years is that he is susceptible to nagging injuries.

CP3 is only 6'0" and 175 pounds, but he plays with reckless abandon. That is a big reason why he is so good; however, it has cost him some time on the injured list over the years as well.

Paul finally managed to play all 82 games in a single season for the first time in his NBA career in 2014-15, but the streak ended early in the 2015-16 campaign because of a groin injury that forced him to miss some action.

While there is no replacing a player of Paul's caliber, L.A. has no shortage of backcourt options with the ability to step up if the point guard misses time in the future.

Austin Rivers is the Clips' primary backup at point guard, so he figures to resume his role with Paul back. Also, veteran Jamal Crawford can handle the ball when needed.

There is no question the Clippers lose a certain dimension of speed and explosiveness when Paul isn't in the lineup, and his return will be a welcome sight.

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