Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul has been in the NBA for 14 years, and even up to this point in his career, he's still highly regarded as one of the best floor generals in the NBA. Heading into his 15th season, he's still motivated to succeed and prove to the rest of the league that he's still an elite player.
CP3 recently had a sit-down interview with ESPN, and when he was asked as to what his driving force is to keep going at this point in his career, he cited several reasons. One of which is his competitive spirit.
“My competitive nature. And my family and my team — all my homies that I grew up with and everybody who supports me. I think when I go out and play, it's never just about me; it's about my whole squad. I feel a lot better than I did a few years ago, and that's just from experience, learning and never just being satisfied. I think one of the biggest issues with a lot of people is they get in this league and they get complacent, and they're like, “Oh, I'm here. I'll just be here.” No. There's somebody coming to try to take your job. And for me, that's not an option. You're not taking my job. No.”
Last season, Paul averaged 15.6 points, 8.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.0 steals in 58 games for the Houston Rockets. Throughout his career, he's only missed less than 50 games once, which means that even though he has been plagued by injuries over the past couple of years, he's still a very effective player when healthy and could be the veteran presence that the Thunder sorely needs.
CP3 added that being a veteran point guard has its pros and cons, and while he admits that he's become a wiser player as he got older, there are also some things that he can no longer do on a consistent basis.
“I think what's easier now is just knowing where people are going to be. I'll be in a game and I'll make a pass or something, and people are like, “Ooh, how'd you see that?” Well, there ain't but so many different places you can go on a court. And so after playing for so long, you know that if you get a rebound and survey the court real quick and it's three people over here, you know one more is going to be over here in the corner or on the wing. One of the tougher things now — and that's what I'm working on this summer — is just jumping. I mean, constantly jumping.
Paul is now a part of a rebuilding Thunder franchise, and while he's not expected to stay there for long, he also wants to do his part in helping the young guys on the team reach their full potential. That is one of the things that a veteran leader does.
And he is one of the best in the league when it comes to leadership.
It is unclear how good OKC will be next season, but if there's one player who will be ready to give his 100 percent on the court every night, it's CP3.
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