Chris Paul: Still Among NBA's Elite

After a slow start, Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul has answered any questions regarding his status as an elite player.

A notoriously slow starter, Chris Paul predictably didn’t start this season very well compared to the high standard that he’s established for himself.

Before suffering a rib injury that caused Paul to miss two early December games, he was averaging 17 points, 8.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. While most teams would love for their point guard to accrue these numbers, they’re below Paul’s norm.

It was fair to ask if Paul was starting to regress back then, but Paul has gone on a tear since then and has silenced anyone who thought this season was the beginning of the end for him.

In Paul’s last 15 games, all without Blake Griffin, Paul is averaging what would normally qualify as MVP-like numbers. Paul’s been good for 20.3 points, 10.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game in those last 15 games, extremely similar numbers to his very best seasons in New Orleans.

Paul has been as impressive as ever, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 14-3 run without Griffin. It was common for Paul to take some plays off and let the offense run through Griffin early in the season, but he has been forced to play like the superstar he is since Griffin went down. Paul, sometimes a bit passive as a scorer, has taken more shots (of his 13 games with the most shot attempts this season, 10 have been without Griffin) and he’s been the scoring weapon some would like to see him be more often.

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In typical Paul fashion, his shot attempts per game have risen every single month and are up to 16.5 a game for January.

More importantly, he’s making these shots.

For the month of January, Paul is shooting 47.5 percent on field goal attempts and 47.4 percent on three pointers. Paul’s usage in the last 15 games is up to 30.8 percent compared to 26.8 percent for the entire season.

The most impressive thing that Paul has done is lead the Clippers to an even better record without Blake Griffin.

Yes, the schedule has been relatively easy, but there aren’t many teams in the NBA that can lose one of their two best players and go 14-3. DeAndre Jordan and J.J. Redick have stepped up, but there’s no question that the Clippers are resting their hopes on Paul to be elite.

Dec 12, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers talks with guard Chris Paul (3) during the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Los Angeles Clippers won 105-100. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

In January, the Clippers have outscored opponents by 15.7 points per 100 possessions when Paul is on the court. Paul has always had a great offensive rating, but many credited sharing the court with Blake Griffin as a reason for it being so high. The team’s 114.5 offensive rating in January would be the best in the league if kept up for an entire season, even higher than Golden State’s league-leading 113.2 offensive rating for the season.

Paul’s been leading by more than just example and has been the rock that the Clippers need him to be without Griffin. When news of Griffin’s broken hand for punching a member of the Clippers training staff, Paul led the team to back-to-back wins against the Pacers and Hawks. In addition, he’s taken a mature approach to dealing with the nature of Griffin’s injury, which could’ve been a distraction for a team with a mentally weak reputation.

Paul kept the focus on the team when asked about Griffin’s extended absence after beating the Indiana Pacers in the first game since the Griffin news became known:

"“We’re all like family. That’s how we’re going to deal with this, as a family.”"

When Paul is on the floor, there isn’t a second that you forget he’s out there. The offense runs exclusively through and around him.

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For the month of January, Paul is averaging an insane 8.7 seconds of time of possession according to NBA.com’s player tracking. Paul’s averaging 6.1 seconds per touch, first among players who have played at least four minutes in the month.

What this means is that Doc Rivers has handed over the offense to Chris Paul and he’s running the league’s best offense. While Paul has a solid supporting cast, it’s worth noting that their starting group lacks any other player capable of creating their own shot.

J.J. Redick has mastered running off of screens and getting open, but Paul has an innate ability to make the pass to Redick right on time and at the right spot.

DeAndre Jordan depends on Paul to get his points more than anything, with 74 percent of his made baskets being assisted and 34.2 percent of his made field goals coming from Paul.

The Clippers have some pieces, but look at this roster outside of Paul. How many points could they get out of a team led by Redick, Jordan and Jamal Crawford? It’d be easy to imagine that if Paul were to miss time while Griffin is absent, the Clippers would struggle to put points on the board.

Instead, Paul has put the offensive output on his shoulder, creating for himself and others, and has the Clippers towards the top of the league in offensive efficiency.

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If Paul can continue to guide the Clippers to points and win at the pace that he’s been doing since Griffin exited the lineup, Paul should be one of the first names mentioned after Stephen Curry when talking about MVP candidates.

Even if Paul regresses a tad, he’s shown that he’s still one of the truly elite NBA players.

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Chris Paul: Still Among NBA’s Elite

By Cameron Stewart | Jan 30, 2016

After a slow start, Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul has answered any questions regarding his status as an elite player.

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