Clippers’ Chris Paul is proving why he’s called ‘Point God’
By Tom West
As the Los Angeles Clippers proceed without Blake Griffin, Chris Paul has continually reminded us how he can carry a team and why he’s known as “Point God”.
As the Los Angeles Clippers fell to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, the composure and depth of the latter shined as it nearly always does. Despite the game remaining fairly close throughout and the score being just 48-44 in favor of the Spurs at halftime, a fourth quarter burst from the bench to take the last 12 minutes 37-17 emphasized why they’re the only team that’s close to the Golden State Warriors. On the other hand, turnovers, weak second unit play and no Blake Griffin cost the Clippers as the game wound down.
The resounding bright spot in their loss, though, was the play of Chris Paul. The handles, the IQ, the effortless mid-range game, the bulldog-like persistence on defense; he’s got everything you could hope for in a point guard except Stephen Curry‘s three-point shooting.
The display Paul put on before his playing time reduced and the Clippers’ bench blew any chance of winning reminded us why he’s rightfully known as the “Point God”. Well, ever since losing Griffin, Paul has been proving why he’s the Point God.
After that painful Christmas Day game when Griffin was ruled out with a quadriceps injury, Paul has embraced his responsibility as the Clippers’ sole leader on the court. As the team’s best defender, he already controls the perimeter at that end of the floor with his reigning All-Defensive first team partner in DeAndre Jordan backing him up in the paint.
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In terms of Paul’s offensive game, he’s upped his aggressiveness to run the show to his full potential. With no Griffin posting up or facilitating from the top of the key, Paul scans opponents with more options — he can create for others as always or he can create even more shots for himself.
As a result, Paul has showcased his unmatched floor general ability to the tune of 21.5 points, 10.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game since Griffin’s absence began. Not to mention, Paul even has the best assist ratio in the NBA this season, assisting on a remarkable 51.3 percent of the Clippers’ baskets when he’s on the floor. On top of all of that, he’s shot 38.9 percent from three and 47.4 percent overall.
His mid-range execution has been better than ever, as he uses his ball handling to create space and reads defenses like Peyton Manning to manoeuvre past so many defenders that tower above his 6’0″ frame. Just look at how he used a strong screen from Jordan to lose Kawhi Leonard before using his signature fadeaway jumper to create enough space to shoot over Tim Duncan.
The following drive is another example of how Paul uses ball handling, speed, and his tough ability to finish through contact to create inside. He sends the one shoe-clad Patty Mills flying, sees Jordan holding back Boris Diaw in the lane, and keeps the ball away from the approaching 6’9″ Kyle Anderson for the finish. Even as one of the smallest point guards in the league, Paul is able to create chances in the paint. In fact, he’s shooting an impressive 65.2 percent within three feet.
When Paul was faced with the challenge of going up against Leonard, he still found a way to lead the Clippers. During the second half when Leonard was switched onto Paul, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year ensured that Paul had only four points on 1-of-5 shooting.
Unsurprisingly, the 6’0″ point guard struggled against the NBA’s best defender with an eight-inch height advantage. This is more of a testament to Kawhi’s defense rather than the scoring ability of Paul.
Also, by looking to others instead and still crossing up Kawhi, Paul made plays like this to catch off the Spurs’ defense as they returned to in transition. Within the first two minutes of the fourth quarter before Paul mostly sat for the rest of the game, he had accounted for eight of the Clippers’ 11 total assists.
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With everything that Paul was able to do — tallying 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting, eight assists, four rebounds, and three steals — he was the only Clippers player to finish the game with a positive +/- with +2. The team’s offense just seemed lost without him on the floor. No one could create penetration, turnovers skyrocketed (giving the Spurs 27 easy points off 13 turnovers), and no one could consistently get open against San Antonio’s stifling perimeter defense.
The Clippers’ bench was outscored by the Spurs’ second unit 59-20, emphasising just how quickly things can unravel for the team when Paul goes to the bench. Despite their improvement and the team’s ascension to rank in the top seven in the NBA for both offensive and defensive efficiency, they need Paul more than ever in the absence of Griffin. And all season long and again on Tuesday night (except for shooting against Leonard), Paul has delivered in typical Point God fashion.
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Besides his stellar vision, passing and defense, his scoring and efficiency have increased. As for his mid-range game that has been electric all season, he’s making 47.5 percent of his shots from 3-10 feet and 53.4 percent from 10-16 feet. For some perspective of just how impressive that is, Paul is shooting 5.9 better from 10-16 feet than Stephen Curry.
From an 18-point third quarter against the Dallas Mavericks on March 7 to a 40-point, 13-assist, 65-percent shooting clinic against the Sacramento Kings on February 26, Chris Paul has given us constant reminders as to just how special he is. Even his performances in narrow losses to the Warriors have shown what he’s capable of against a historically dominant team.
Ultimately, Paul is still just doing everything he normally does when Blake Griffin is around, but to an even greater extent. That’s why he’s raising the Clippers’ offensive rating by 16.3 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor this season.
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Besides carrying the team, he’s reaffirming why he’s not only worthy of his Point God title, but worthy of a spot among the top MVP candidates for those pursuing a second-place finish behind Curry.