The Point God effect

Chris Paul makes his mark in his 20th season

BY DAVID THORPE

Chris Paul is inarguably among the greatest point guards in NBA history, but his current station might yield his greatest achievement. RONALD CORTES/GETTY IMAGES

Back in 2002, an NBA scout told me about the incredible emotional experience of being in the gym when a tiny high school guard in North Carolina named Chris Paul scored 61 points to honor his slain grandfather. The story went national once everyone learned that, deliberately, the guard had scored one point for each year his slain grandfather was alive.

Back in 2009, ESPN sent me to watch a game between Paul’s New Orleans Hornets and Deron Williams’ Utah Jazz. Though Paul was clearly the better player, Williams’ teams often had the last laugh. I watched both players warm up. After his pregame routine, Williams hung around and ribbed his teammates—nothing nasty, but nothing positive. Paul, on the other hand, filled his teammates’ ears with positive spirit. To me, “Point God” made sense from that day forth.

Paul’s defensive disposition is that the ball belongs to him. He always wants it back, so he just goes and takes it. I believe that the streetball phrase “Gimme that!” started with CP—or at least he made it feel that way.

Paul’s accolades rival the best in NBA history: He’s a 12-time All-Star, an 11-time All-NBA selection, a nine-time All-Defensive selection. Recently, Paul passed Jason Kidd to reach second place on the NBA’s all-time assists list. Inevitably, he’ll pass Kidd for second on the steals list as well—likely later this season.

Yet, the Point God’s greatest achievement might be his parting gift. Paul’s showing these Spurs—and their young, otherworldly star—how to win possessions, which is how to win games.

Bolstering offensive spirit

Here’s a Steve Nash Special. With the Suns, Shawn Marion would cut behind a driving Nash and receive these passes. It’s easy to imagine that Chris Paul honed this trick from studying or playing against the Hall of Famer.