Hoops Habit
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NBA Player Power Rankings: Superstars Keep Making History

By Maxwell Ogden

Mar 26, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) shake hands after a game at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) shake hands after a game at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 29, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; LA Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) attempts a shot defended by Washington Wizards forward Jason Smith (14) during the third quarter at Staples Center. The Clippers won 133-124. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 29, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; LA Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) attempts a shot defended by Washington Wizards forward Jason Smith (14) during the third quarter at Staples Center. The Clippers won 133-124. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

Position: Point Guard
Age: 31 (5/6/1985)
Experience: 12th Season
2016-17 Slash Line: .470/.403/.882
2016-17 Season Averages: 31.4 MPG, 17.8 PPG, 9.2 APG, 5.0 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 2.0 3PM

The Los Angeles Clippers have hit a rough patch in the 2016-17 NBA regular season, but Chris Paul is the last player to point the finger at. Paul is the orchestrator on offense and the first line of defense on the defensive end of the floor.

In both of those crucial roles, Paul contributes at as high of a level as any superstar in the NBA—and there’s no rational way around that.

Paul ranks No. 4 in the NBA in assists per game and No. 1 amongst players averaging at least 5.0 dimes per contest in assist-to-turnover ratio. He’s also No. 3 in the Association in steals per game, which is a fair indication of his defensive value.

Paul is No. 1 in the NBA in Real Plus-Minus—by a considerable margin—and the only player in the Association ranked in the Top 10 in both Offensive and Defensive RPM.

This past week, Paul helped stabilize the sinking ship by leading Los Angeles to a crucial victory over the Washington Wizards. John Wall went off, but Paul answered back with 27 points and 13 assists on 9-of-15 shooting from the field.

A game later, he tallied 29 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, and a steal in a 124-118 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Paul needs to reach the Conference Finals in order to silence his critics, but he’s one of the greatest players in NBA history and one of the best players in the game today.