Suns Coach Monty Williams and DeAndre Ayton say Chris Paul has been vocal about regarding following COVID protocols and has implored them all to remain focused on what they could control. Suns have not lost any players to protocols during regular season so far

It’s remarkable that the Suns have yet to be impacted by the virus this season. And while it certainly seems as if their good practices are playing a part, they’re the first to admit that sheer luck is ruling the day too.

Yet as Suns coach Monty Willilams detailed before the game, it certainly helps to have a veteran voice and former players’ union president like Paul on hand in troubling times like these.

After a film session last week, Paul and Williams addressed the team to discuss the COVID concerns and all the measures they could take to ensure the best odds of keeping their team whole.

“Let’s just do our part so that we can keep business moving in a good direction, to keep it going,” Williams said of the message. “(Paul’s portion) was a really short but profound talk that we needed to have. I shared an experience, a personal experience, that I’ve been through because of the situation, and then we just kind of left it at that. …We want to do what we can to keep the business going but also keep our families safe and do our part. It doesn’t seem like the virus is going anywhere, so we might as well do what we can to keep each other safe.”

When I circled back with Williams after the game to learn more about the specifics of his message, he shared the fact that Suns players have been encouraged to have people in their circles tested as a way of adding another layer of protection.

“I just told them (that) you’re gonna have family members coming back to town (during the holidays), so the safest thing to do is get them tested when they come into town,” he added. “Keep them safe and keep us safe. People are struggling, man, you know? The numbers are back up again. Folks are dying. Again. For us to complain about playing basketball or anything within what we do is just kind of silly, and we don’t want that to be our story. We want hooping and our culture to be our story.”

As Ayton remembers it, Paul implored them all to remain focused on what they could control.

“(He was) just mainly…preparing (them for) what the league’s got for us coming (regarding COVID),” Ayton said. “Whatever decision they make, don’t be blown away by it, you know? It’s a decision they have to make, and you know, just finish playing until they say stop basically. You know, ain’t nothing changing. We’re still coming in, working out, just not doing all the extra-curricular, you know, just going out and stuff like that, just staying in and just making sure we follow protocol and keep our team going and winning.”

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