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Just a few months ago, it was unknown what role Chris Paul would have as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder this season. Added in as salary filler in order to make the Russell Westbrook blockbuster trade to the Houston Rockets possible this past July, Paul was not expected to stick around in OKC for the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
After all, the Thunder had just dealt their other superstar, Paul George, to the Los Angeles Clippers a few days prior which seemed to symbolize that the franchise was focused on building for the future rather than winning now. It did not make sense money-wise for OKC to hold on to the future Hall of Famer to begin the new season; he is owed $124 million over the next three years.
So, why would an organization seemingly destined for the lottery come spring commit such a significant portion of their salary cap to a 34-year-old coming off arguably his worst stint as a pro in 2018-19?
Looking ahead to the current day with less than a month away from the NBA trade deadline and nearly half of the season in the books, it is evident that those who were skeptical about how much Chris Paul had left in the tank have been silenced. Paul has improved upon his scoring numbers across the board compared to his last hoorah with Houston, he is averaging 16.6 points per game and is connecting on 47% of his shots from the field in 37 games as a member of the light blue and orange.
Most importantly, Paul's consistently efficient play has resulted in the Thunder collecting wins thus far, as they are 21-16 which is good for the seventh seed in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City has racked up eight wins in their last ten outings and owns the league's fourth-best record since Nov.25. The squad has been defeating opponent after opponent over the past few weeks thanks to the former Wake Forest guard's play in the clutch.
The Ringer's Dan Devine wrote an insightful piece on OKC's success and mentioned a statistic that provides overwhelming evidence of Paul's monumental impact. The 6'1″ floor general leads the NBA in clutch points scored by a sizable margin, he has accumulated 103 with five minutes or less remaining (Zach Lavine ranks second with 83).
The Thunder's most recent outing against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday saw Paul once again step up with the game on the line, as he finished with 28 points and 6 assists on 9-of-15 shooting en route to a 111-103 victory in overtime.
He is not the superstar he once was, though CP3 remains a darn productive point guard who deserves more recognition.
