The Unappreciated Value Of Chris Paul

One of the biggest surprises of the 2019-20 season has been the great play of the Oklahoma City Thunder. After trading away both Russell Westbrook and Paul George, the Thunder were projected to be a bottom feeder. However, they turned a lot of heads this season on their way to being the 5th seed in the Western Conference.

Much of this success can be attributed to Chris Paul. After a season in Houston where Paul was injured and a shell of his former self, he was traded to the Thunder where a lot of people thought his career was going to fizzle out.

However, this was not the case. Paul flipped the narrative for himself and was much improved this year. Not only were his stats great but his impact was tremendous and he was named an NBA All-Star once again. We need to look at JUST how good Chris Paul has been this year, and how impactful he's been on the success of OKC.

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His Leadership

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I think that the most important thing that Chris Paul has provided for this team is his veteran leadership. For one thing, Paul has been huge in the development of budding star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Shai has taken huge strides in his scoring and defense and has learned a lot from Chris Paul. The two have also been great friends and have developed a tight bond.

Paul has also formed friendships with a lot of the younger guys on the team. One of my favorite stories that I heard this year was how Darius Bazley's mother was supposed to miss Bazley's first career game. Chris Paul heard about it and sure enough, Mrs. Bazley was there to watch her son.

Chris Paul has also been extremely unselfish. Of course, we all know Chris Paul to be a great passer and someone who knows how to get everyone involved but Paul has taken a backseat to let other guys do their thing. Paul is fourth on the team in usage rate behind Gilgeous-Alexander, Dennis Schroder, and Danilo Gallinari. Because of this, Schroder has averaged a career high in PPG and is the front runner for 6th man of the year, Gallinari has averaged nearly 20 PPG and Gilgeous-Alexander has taken a huge leap.

Chris Paul has taken a clear backseat and it's clearly helped the team. They've developed a balanced offensive attack and Paul has played off the ball more than he ever has before. 49% of his minutes have been at the two guard, which may not seem important but it shows that Paul has only been the primary ball handler for about half the time. Paul has been INCREDIBLY effective despite not being very ball-dominant.

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His Scoring Efficiency

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Chris Paul has always been an incredibly efficient scorer, and this year has been no different. Paul has been playing off the ball more than ever and it helps him get more open looks of the catch and shoot which certainly helps.

Let's start off with the typical box score statistics. Paul's .489 FG% sits at 38th in the league and 4th among true point guards (one of which was Ben Simmons who only takes three-footers). Paul's three point percentage of .362 is only 92nd however he's ahead of several great players like Devin Booker, James Harden, Trae Young, and Pascal Siakam. Lastly, his FT% is 6th in the league. Chris Paul is one of the most efficient players in the league even if you just look at typical box score stats.

However, let's look aside traditional stats. One would look at Chris Paul's shot selection and say it's "inefficient" because a majority of his shots come from mid range. However, Chris Paul is currently the best volume mid range shooter in the NBA. In late game situations, it's hard to get all the way to the rim or shoot a three pointer, which is why the mid range shot is so effective in late game situations and that's why Paul is the league leader in clutch points.

If we also look at the stats, we can see that Chris Paul's efficiency at all three levels is pretty absurd. Chris Paul shoots 86% from 0-3 feet, 51% from 3-10, 53% from 10-16, 52% from 16-3PT, and 36% from three. That type of efficiency from all three levels has helped is extraordinary, especially considering all the mid range jumpers he takes.

Looking at more advanced shooting statistics, Chris Paul's eFG% ranks 37th in the league and 4th among true point guards with Damian Lillard, Patty Mills, and Ben Simmons being the only ones in front of him. Paul's TS% is even better, as he ranks 27th in the league and 2nd among point guards, trailing only Damian Lillard.

Paul's shooting efficiency from every area of the court has been incredible. Some may argue that he's taking far more mid range shots than he should be however he still remains incredibly efficient despite all of this. Shot efficiency is one of the most important things in basketball and it's been the pinnacle of Chris Paul's success

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His Great Impact

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It's no secret that Paul has had a tremendous impact on the success of the Oklahoma City Thunder. It's the same reason that they've maintained almost an identical record through 64 games as they did last year. However, we need to look at the stats to prove just how impactful Paul has been.

Looking at Chris Paul's net rating, we can see that the Thunder are a much better team when he's on the court versus when he's off it. The Thunder are a +6.8 in net rating when he's on the court which would be good enough for 3rd in the league. However when he steps off, they've got a -5.4 net rating and that would be 26th in the league.

When CP3 is on the court, the Thunder have the 2nd highest eFG% but when he's off it, they have the 28th best eFG%.

The Thunder also have the best five man lineup in the league. The lineup of Paul, Gilgeous-Alexander, Schroder, Gallinari, and Steven Adams is 1st in net rating, 1st in offensive rating, 7th in defensive rating, and 1st in TS% as well as being 2nd in eFG%.

As shown by these stats, Paul makes OKC a lot better. The typical box score numbers won't show it but Paul has a case to be a top three point guard this year and these numbers show it. Paul has been one of the most impactful players in the league and that's what should help him garner a couple of MVP votes this year.

- All stats found from the.fastbreak Instagram page

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Chris Paul has been tremendous for Oklahoma City this year. His box score stats won't blow you away but his impact and shooting numbers have been incredible alongside his great leadership. Paul is a proven competitor this year, as a ton of people thought Paul would start to fall off a cliff but he's rewritten his own narrative and become one of the top players in the league once again.

If you have any further questions, make sure to email us or DM me on Instagram @_mr.sideline with any concerns.