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LA Clippers’ Chris Paul was snubbed from the All-NBA selections

By Paul Tooke

April 25, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) reacts after he scores a basket against the Utah Jazz during the second half in game five of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
April 25, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) reacts after he scores a basket against the Utah Jazz during the second half in game five of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The LA Clippers’ Chris Paul has been selected for one of the three All-NBA teams every season since 2010, until now. Why was he not selected? Was he snubbed from the lists? 

Here are the official All-NBA teams:

2016-17 All-NBA First Team

  • James Harden
  • Russell Westbrook
  • LeBron James
  • Kawhi Leonard
  • Anthony Davis

2016-17 All-NBA Second Team

  • Stephen Curry
  • Isaiah Thomas
  • Kevin Durant
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo
  • Rudy Gobert

2016-17 All-NBA Third Team

  • John Wall
  • DeMar DeRozan
  • Jimmy Butler
  • Draymond Green
  • DeAndre Jordan

These results show us a few things about today’s NBA status and style. The first thing being that if you have to carry a team on your back, (Antetokounmpo, Butler, Westbrook, Thomas, Davis) you have a good chance of ending the season with some decent numbers. Furthermore, if you take nearly 20 shots per game or more (Thomas, Westbrook, Derozan, Curry, Harden, Davis) you have an even better chance of ending each game with high numbers. You see, the players listed in the parenthesis play “hero ball”. Some of them must do so in order to win games, and others are just so used to throwing up a large amount ridiculous shots and chewing on mouth pieces that it would be uncharacteristic for them to stop now. But just because Chris Paul didn’t need necessarily do either of these things for the LA Clippers doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be on a team.

Chris Paul took less than 13 shots per game this season, a rarely seen low number for guards in today’s NBA. In fact, the only players on the teams above with fewer shots per game than Paul are all big men: Green, Gobert, and Jordan. We know Paul is a playmaker, not a scorer. All of the guards who made All-NBA teams had higher points per game averages than Paul, so based on that, they deserved to make the lists. As a disclaimer, all of the men who made this list deserved to. They all competed at a high level and were honored for it by being selected.

The fact of the matter is, being possibly the best playmaker in the league is not enough for the modern league’s All-NBA teams. There are too many independent performers taking endless shots per game for Paul to appear on either of the first two teams, but what about the third team? John Wall certainly earned his spot, especially after his performances in the playoffs. Draymond Green however, could have been left off the list with little controversy. Jimmy Butler could be moved down to Draymond’s spot based on his ability to play the forward position, and then Chris Paul could be placed on the third team. That is a big “what if”, but if you ask me, that’s the only possible way for Paul to make any of this seasons’ All-NBA teams. Paul also missed more than 20 games this season, which could have played a factor in him not being selected.

In conclusion, this year’s competition for the All-NBA selections was stiff. Players like Harden, Westbrook, Thomas, Antetokounmpo, and Derozan broke out by carrying their team and taking a  lot of shots. Chris Paul’s playmaking style could not compete with all the scorers chosen, and missing 21 games did not help either. Paul was not snubbed, rather it is hard to shine in the current NBA as a guard unless you are a young shot-taker.

Congratulations to LA Clippers’ big man DeAndre Jordan on making the third team!

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