elindholm
edited for content
It's well established that Chris Paul wears out his welcome after a few years with the same team. After six years each with New Orleans and the Clippers, Paul played on three different teams over the next six years, and now he's looking at another new team for next season.
But Paul also has an excellent track record of elevating the team he's on. The Clippers enjoyed their most successful run while he was leading the roster. The Rockets won 65 and 53 games in Paul's two seasons with them. The Thunder surprised everyone by going 44-28 in their one season with Paul.
In three years with the Suns, Paul averaged 15.1 points and 9.5 assists on 48/37/87 shooting splits. He played in 194 out of a possible 236 regular-season games. The Suns went from 34-39 in 2019-20 to 51-21 in their first season with Paul, then a franchise-record 64-18 the year after that. Paul led the league in free-throw shooting in 2020-21 and in assists in 2021-22.
Paul's record in the playoffs has always been a relative disappointment when compared to his regular-season brilliance. He is the only player in NBA history to have blown five 2-0 leads in best-of-seven series; no one else has more than three. The Suns went to the Finals in their first year with Paul, but were unceremoniously bounced out of the second round in each of the next two postseasons. In both the 2021 Finals and the 2022 second-round match-up with the Mavericks, the Suns and Paul stormed out to 2-0 leads, only to fold, adding to Paul's legacy as a choker.
Paul seems always to have an injury excuse in the playoffs. His numbers drop off, but those who have watched the Suns the last few years see not so much physical impairment as a lack of assertiveness. In some ways, Paul is the ultimate team player, but that means hoping that your teammates will come up big when the pressure is at its greatest. Paul may simply not be wired to step up and be The Man when the lights are at their brightest.
Nonetheless, Paul will be remembered as one of the greatest players ever to wear a Suns uniform. He is 3rd all-time in career assists and 4th in assists per game. He is 9th in career win shares and 6th in win shares per minute. He is a 12-time All-Star, has been on 11 All-NBA teams (including four First Teams), and is a certain Hall-of-Famer. Five times, he has finished in the top five for league MVP voting. When he's on, he dominates both sides of the floor with a brilliance that very few players in history have been able to match.
Devin Booker has been the face of the Suns franchise since he was drafted in 2015. But the Suns owe their current relevance as a contender to Paul. The Suns' postseason disappointments over the last few years reflect poorly on Paul, which is fair. But it's also reasonable to speculate that Paul took the Suns as far as they could go, and that it was only because of his leadership that they had the illusion of being better than they were.
It was time for the Suns and Paul to part ways, but we should remember him fondly, both now and far into the future.
But Paul also has an excellent track record of elevating the team he's on. The Clippers enjoyed their most successful run while he was leading the roster. The Rockets won 65 and 53 games in Paul's two seasons with them. The Thunder surprised everyone by going 44-28 in their one season with Paul.
In three years with the Suns, Paul averaged 15.1 points and 9.5 assists on 48/37/87 shooting splits. He played in 194 out of a possible 236 regular-season games. The Suns went from 34-39 in 2019-20 to 51-21 in their first season with Paul, then a franchise-record 64-18 the year after that. Paul led the league in free-throw shooting in 2020-21 and in assists in 2021-22.
Paul's record in the playoffs has always been a relative disappointment when compared to his regular-season brilliance. He is the only player in NBA history to have blown five 2-0 leads in best-of-seven series; no one else has more than three. The Suns went to the Finals in their first year with Paul, but were unceremoniously bounced out of the second round in each of the next two postseasons. In both the 2021 Finals and the 2022 second-round match-up with the Mavericks, the Suns and Paul stormed out to 2-0 leads, only to fold, adding to Paul's legacy as a choker.
Paul seems always to have an injury excuse in the playoffs. His numbers drop off, but those who have watched the Suns the last few years see not so much physical impairment as a lack of assertiveness. In some ways, Paul is the ultimate team player, but that means hoping that your teammates will come up big when the pressure is at its greatest. Paul may simply not be wired to step up and be The Man when the lights are at their brightest.
Nonetheless, Paul will be remembered as one of the greatest players ever to wear a Suns uniform. He is 3rd all-time in career assists and 4th in assists per game. He is 9th in career win shares and 6th in win shares per minute. He is a 12-time All-Star, has been on 11 All-NBA teams (including four First Teams), and is a certain Hall-of-Famer. Five times, he has finished in the top five for league MVP voting. When he's on, he dominates both sides of the floor with a brilliance that very few players in history have been able to match.
Devin Booker has been the face of the Suns franchise since he was drafted in 2015. But the Suns owe their current relevance as a contender to Paul. The Suns' postseason disappointments over the last few years reflect poorly on Paul, which is fair. But it's also reasonable to speculate that Paul took the Suns as far as they could go, and that it was only because of his leadership that they had the illusion of being better than they were.
It was time for the Suns and Paul to part ways, but we should remember him fondly, both now and far into the future.
