Chris Paul gave an indication of his veteran leadership over the Phoenix Suns with a rule he set in place during the team’s trips to New Orleans in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Paul instituted a curfew for Suns players during road games, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on the “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” podcast. Windhorst says the rule came from Paul, not the Suns’ coaches. Paul reportedly even set up hotel rooms for the team to spend time in instead of going out on the town.
Paul played in New Orleans to start his career, so he certainly knows the temptations the nightlife can provide there. The 36-year-old does not want anything needlessly impacting the team’s chances to win a championship, which would be Paul’s first.
The rule seems to have worked. While not everything went perfectly for Paul in the series, the Suns did win two of the three games they played in New Orleans, and closed out the Pelicans in six games.
