The Anomaly of Chris Paul

I think we can all agree Chris Paul isn’t the best point guard in the league. I think it’s clear to say his best years are behind him and that the contract he’s on is a bad one. But I can’t say that he’s washed up or a complete liability. Chris Paul can still ball. As much as I hate saying that phrase about guys like Paul, its true, he can still go out there and get buckets.

Playing with Harden –

Chris Paul was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2017 and his two, and only seasons with them were good-not-great. Paul’s numbers dipped slightly in his first season but that was expected as he had to adjust to the new system in Houston. His second season was marred by injuries and he put up just 15 points per game. He was still a great passing PG with 8 assists a game over both seasons, and his presence defensively was hugley important in tight games. But for some reason, it didn’t seem like enough, so, partly due to his play, partly due to the infighting in the Rockets locker room, and partly due to his health, he was shipped off to OKC where people are largely assuming he will shrivel up and die.

But here’s the thing. Chris Paul was actually pretty good in Houston… when he didn’t have to pass to James Harden.

Off-Court Numbers –

When James Harden was off the floor, Chris Paul relatively flourished. In the 727 minutes James Harden spent watching Chris Paul from the bench, Paul was flourishing. He was back to his old Clipper ways, playing at an elite level. His numbers were:

• 22.5 PPG
• 12.5 AST
• 5.4 REB
• 58.1% TS per 36
• Rockets’ Net Rating was +10.4

That’s really good, almost scary good. If Chris Paul could even do something close to that in OKC, I’m sure things won’t be as bad as people are expecting it to be.

If Chris Paul can play at the level he showed he still can, then OKC will be just fine, I mean, you’re slotting almost elite Chris Paul into a lineup with Steven Adams, Danilo Gallinari and a combination of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dennis Schroeder, Hamidou Diallo, and André Roberson, you can bet Chris Paul and the Thunder will be better than we think.