Chris Paul has spent the season showing that he’s still one of the best players in the NBA.
Sure, he’s not averaging a double-double anymore, but what he’s done during his first season in Oklahoma City has had a much bigger impact than just scoring points or dishing out assists.
Paul has taken on the primary leadership role since being traded to the Thunder in July 2019, and the team has responded by taking on the mentality of their Point God.
It’s why some analysts believe that this year’s Thunder team is better than last year’s, despite not having either Russell Westbrook or Paul George.
OKC isn’t the most talented team in the league, but they are one of the toughest. Time and time again they’ve proved that they are never out of any game, and they’ve continued to come through when the game is on the line.
In all likelihood, Chris Paul won’t win his second NBA MVP award for his play this season. But Nick Crain of Forbes believes that he at least deserves to be in the conversation.
At 34 years old, he is averaging 17.7 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game on 90.0% shooting from line and is only attempting 12.8 shots per game. As someone who has missed many games due to injury throughout his career, he has only missed one game all season and it wasn’t even due to injury.
Paul’s statistics are probably the least important thing that he’s brought to Oklahoma City this season. More than just the numbers, Paul has been a mentor to up-and-coming players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Darius Bazley. He’s been a facilitator and a teacher, as well as a point guard, and his impact has trickled down throughout the rest of the team.
Paul has taken a backseat on offense this season has and allowed others to take over throughout the game. That being said, at the end of games, when it is time to take care of business and pull out a win, he has shined like no other. He leads the NBA in the clutch points (144) and is the main reason the Oklahoma City Thunder have been the NBA’s most clutch team this season.
Oklahoma City was 40-24 and in fifth in the Western Conference when the league was suspended effective immediately after Rudy Gobert became the first player in the league to test positive for the coronavirus ahead of Utah’s game against the Thunder on March 11.