When the Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Chris Paul this past offseason, many thought that this would just be a quick stopgap for the veteran point guard. The Thunder are in a rebuilding situation after trading Paul George and Russell Westbrook, and this kind of situation doesn't fit an aging guard whose main focus at this point in his career is to win.
Nevertheless, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times details how Paul has remained a professional over his stint in Oklahoma City so far. He has particularly taken budding star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and rookie forward Darius Bazley under his wing:
That Paul has been a consummate professional in his first 15 games with the Thunder hasn’t been a surprise to anyone who has worked with him. He’s got a genuine passion from helping young players, whether it’s with the AAU team or skills camps he runs. He says Gilgeous-Alexander and Bazley, in particular, have a lot of his attention.
“They’re men, but they’re also like my little brothers,” Paul told The Times.
SGA is taking full advantage of learning from one of the best point guards to ever do it:
“I’m always ears when Chris is around,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
“We watch games, constantly talking basketball,” Paul said. “I try not to be too much of a burden on them. Some of this stuff, you’re just going to learn on your own.”
As you can see, Paul has fully embraced his mentor role for this young Thunder squad. Still, he hasn't forgotten his primary job of being a basketball player first and foremost:
“I don’t look at myself as just a mentor to the guys. I hoop, you know what I mean? I think that’s the biggest thing too. I’m playing at the same time,” Paul said. “I’m not at that point of my career. I’m going to hoop always, but it’s also understanding the privilege of getting to play. That’s the thing. I love to hoop.”
Even if the Thunder don't find much success this season, much to CP3's dismay, it's great to see him take his circumstances in stride and make the best of his current situation.
Paul is currently averaging 15.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 30.5 minutes per game. He's shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 40.3 percent on 3-pointers.
The Thunder are just 5-10 to start this season.
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