Chris Paul, in year 16 of his NBA career, has the Phoenix Suns at the top of the Western Conference as the NBA regular season nears its conclusion. With the young stud guard Devin Booker and up-and-coming big man in DeAndre Ayton, the Suns are looking to make a deep
run in the playoffs. However, this article isn't really too much about the statistical impact of Chris Paul in 2021, it's about the impact of Paul's leadership and how it's something that didn't get talked about enough prior to this season.
One of the things that athletes are measured on through there careers is if they had won a championship or how many finals appearances they have. Paul, like other superstars, has been criticized for that most of his career. With not having an NBA Finals appearance, thus far, some believe that he can't be classified as one of the top-tier Point Guard's of all-time. I believe the criticism to be fair but at the same time unfair. The qualities of Paul's game that, in my opinion, put's him in amongst the greatest Point Guard's in NBA history is two things: Consistency and leadership. For his career, he is averaging 18.3 points per game, 9.4 assists and 4.5 assists. Never being a "scoring guard" and more of a "traditional guard" these are top-tier numbers. The game has changed since Paul's arrival in the league and now you see more of the scoring guards like Dame Lillard, Stephen Curry, Donovan Mitchell, etc. But, even with that, what Paul has accomplished and with the statistics it's no doubt that he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame when he decides to walk away from the game.
He has won consistently through his career and been a vocal leader on-the-court and off. Also, to note, he moved into the top 5 list in all-time assists and steals this season.
In 2020, Paul was traded to from the Houston Rockets to the Oklahoma City Thunder for superstar guard Russell Westbrook. It was said, when the trade happened, that his [Paul's] career was going to die there. No more Westbrook, a team of young players and no other all-star players. There wasn't much complaining from him through the media, he did what he always has done in his career. This team had battled through the season and you saw a great amount of team unity and chemistry grow, especially in the bubble. Paul helped lead this team to a 5-seed in a star-studded western conference with a record of 44-28 (shortened season - not a full 82-game season).
Beyond what numbers Paul put up on the court, I'm honestly one to say his impact on teams chemistry and his off-the-court impact. I think that people really developed a greater appreciation for what he [Paul] does off the court during last summer inside the NBA bubble (which was created to help isolate the NBA during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic) after the murders of George Floyd and Breanna Taylor, by the police in their hometowns. But, the NBA players and the league used their platform as nationwide protests started to take place. The teams took some days off to keep attention on the social injustice that has been happening throughout the United States with hopes to address that more. Also, players did interviews and took to social media to voice their opinions and their feelings about how they felt on the state of country. As the league is made up of majority minority players, I believe this held a lot of weight and helped push the conversation even more. The players like LeBron James, Donovan Mitchell, Jamaal Murray, Paul and many others used their platform through their entire time in the bubble and even beyond. However, while everyone used their platform to talk about social injustices and bringing more attention the country's divide, what Paul had been doing was a little more unique.
He [Paul] was bringing more attention to Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's) through his apparel. Every day you could see him wearing a hoodie or some sort of article of clothing that was from an HBCU and would even have the school displayed on his signature Jordan's. This was something that gained a lot of attention and was one of the most memorable things from the bubble season of the NBA. It was something that hasn't really been done by a player of his stature and it was refreshing and encouraging to see that type of representation for those Colleges and Universities. It's not something that has been displayed much through NBA history. Most of these players, like Paul, don't come from HBCU's and normally the NBA doesn't market those schools as they many players haven't come from there. And this is important to see a player consistently promote those school and explain the importance of those schools. However, he didn't only wear HBCU apparel, even more important to the significance of his leadership, he also announced that he would continue his education at North Carolina A&T, a prestigious HBCU.
Chris Paul hasn't had the storied career of guys like Magic Johnson or Isaiah Thomas and doesn't have the dynamic shooting and scoring history of Stephen Curry or Dame Lillard, hasn't been able to advance to an NBA championship. But, the leadership and consistency he's displayed through his lengthy career has been nothing short of remarkable! Every organization he has been with has made the playoffs while he was there and for the most part has been the key component of the team and their success. Currently, Paul and the Phoenix Suns have the second best record in the NBA and the best record the franchise has seen in over a decade ( best winning percentage since 2006-07 season) after they missed the playoffs last season. And while I don't know if this team will dominate in the playoffs or win a championship. I know that the leadership that Paul has added has help elevate the young players on the team, brought toughness, work ethic and a winning mentality to an organization that has been in desperate need of it for over a decade.
