Los Angeles Clippers: The Biggest Reason Doc Rivers Will Love Chris Paul
By Shane Young
Doc Rivers will be embarking on a new journey this upcoming season as he has been shifted from Boston to Los Angeles, taking on the challenge of coaching a completely different roster that has recently crumbled in the playoffs. While he may expect it to take some time adjusting to a new set of guys, implementing his coaching styles and developing a defensive identity, his stints in Boston and Los Angeles will have one thing in common right from the start. Rivers is fortunate enough to once again work with a roster that is led by a superstar point guard. Placing Rivers alongside Chris Paul is something the rest of the league will suffer from.
Chris Paul is a much more complete point guard than Celtics’ Rajon Rondo.(Flickr.com photo by Nikk_LA)
There is no doubting Rivers had a wonderful player-coach relationship with former point guard Rajon Rondo in Boston. More times than not in playoff runs, Rondo was the glue that held the Celtics together in times of struggle, most notably in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat. Now in “Lob City” coaching a point guard that has made three appearances on the All-NBA First Team, Rivers has a reason to think his success with Paul will be even greater.
Out of the surprising number of point guards that have risen as top 15 players in the league, Paul is the most complete and well-rounded at his position. In the pool of Paul, Rondo, Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, Deron Williams, and Kyrie Irving, only one has eclipsed a player efficiency rating (PER) of 25.0 in the last two seasons. Yes, you guessed it; CP3 is your guy. Having a 26.43 PER in 2012-13 and only trailing Kevin Durant and LeBron James, he proved why he could lead a team to 56 wins by being more than a point guard that can effectively pass. To many, Rondo’s greatest, and only, true strength is passing.
Making your teammates better does go a long way with a ball club, don’t get that twisted. Increasing their comfort by getting them the best looks possible, learning others’ sweet spots and being a pass-first player are all good attributes.
However, when Rivers begins to think about what he has now compared to what he used to have, he’s going to notice one thing different. Chris Paul is arguably the clutchest guard in the league behind Kobe Bryant, with Tony Parker also being in the discussion. When the Clippers are in tough, close games against the hard-nosed teams in the Western Conference, he’s now going to have a point guard that isn’t afraid to make offense for himself, which will make defenses frightened considering all the perimeter shooters he has on the wings.
Rajon Rondo was a terrific passer in Doc Rivers’ offense, but never proved to be a great scorer or shooter consistently. Photo Credit: Mark Runyon, Basketball Schedule
Rewinding to last season before Rondo went down with a torn ACL, he started to show signs of improvement in terms of outside shooting. Although, the problem was that it was his seventh season in the league and he still didn’t have a reliable 3-point jumper, or any jump shot for that matter. Connecting on just 40 percent of his jump shots, 24 percent of his 3-pointers and just 64.5 percent of his free-throw attempts, his offensive production down the stretch of a game nearly ensured that he would be a liability during most instances in a close game.
Paul, on the other hand, knows he has gained a reputation of being an ice cold killer late in games, as he is confident with every shot he takes on the court. Whether it be his ability to create space on any shot attempt and get quality looks, his higher 3-point accuracy (35.6 percent for his career) or his ability to convert from the free-throw line (88.5 percent last season), Paul has the making to be the best guard Rivers has ever coached.
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