Chris Ellis, former teammate of Chris Paul at Wake Forest, believes the new Oklahoma City Thunder guard is “misunderstood” in the NBA.
There's this narrative around the league that Paul rubs teammates the wrong way because of how much he yells and demands excellence. Ellis says Paul is just a fierce competitor who hates losing and wants to win at all costs.
“I really feel like the narrative on him, he’s just misunderstood,” Ellis told C.L. Brown of The Athletic. “Anybody with greatness you always hear negative about them because they want to win. I feel like a lot of people in the league don’t understand CP3 because the man wants to win.
“They said the same thing about Kobe. He’s one of the greatest point guards in history. The knock against him is that he doesn’t have a ring and he wants it, so on the court he’s pushing people. If you get to know the dude, he’s down to earth.”
Chris Paul reportedly didn't have the best relationship with Blake Griffin and Doc Rivers on the Los Angeles Clippers. Paul supposedly also got into it with Houston Rockets star James Harden last season, although both guys denied anything happened.
The Rockets traded Paul to the Thunder this summer in the blockbuster Russell Westbrook trade. It's going to be interesting to see how players on OKC react to Paul's leadership style. They will either feed off it or get sick and tired of it.
The Thunder will be grooming Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to be the new franchise point guard, but while Paul is on the roster, the two will play together in the backcourt.
Follow Us
Subscribe