As Chris Paul has been rightfully criticized for his performances this season, Tyronn Lue made it clear he hears the outside noise by benching him, from start to finish, for the first time last night. The Clippers still lost to the Phoenix Suns, 114-103, yet Paul, off the court, sitting next to an injured Kawhi Leonard, clapping and high-fiving his teammates as they checked in and out, was a decision from Lue that should have happened earlier.
Paul’s efficiency has had a more detrimental impact than his points, as he is averaging 2.3 per night but has a true-shooting percentage of 35.4.
Thus, Paul is best on the sidelines, with Cam Christie taking his minutes, and those of Bogdan Bogdanovic, who was also a DNP. Christie was coming off a career night and had another nice showcase, even though it ended similarly.
Cam Christie should receive all of Chris Paul’s minutes moving forward
In several games this season, Tyronn Lue’s rotation has had ten players in it. However, against the Phoenix Suns, in their third matchup of the year, Kawhi Leonard was out, so Lue decided to run with nine, leaving Cam Christie in, with Chris Paul and Bogdan Bogdanovic out.
Christie played 18 minutes last night and recorded eight points and three rebounds, shooting 3-5 from the field and 1-3 from beyond the arc.
Surprisingly, this performance from Christie has been better than all of Paul’s this season put together. The former second-round pick was great on defense, moved around on offense, made the right passes, and even hit a three-pointer that popped the home crowd, cutting the lead to five points in the third.
In fact, the most Paul has scored this season was six points versus the Portland Trail Blazers.
Moreover, Christie’s role in Lue’s rotation should already be solidified. The fans surely do not need to see any more from him, and neither should Lue, as the 25 points he scored in consecutive nights are more than enough of a rationale to play him over Paul for the foreseeable future.
Paul could still get minutes in the coming week, but the competition would have to be between him and Bogdanovic, leaving Christie out of it.
At this point, nothing should chip into Christie's role in the rotation. He is in a great place for a sophomore, and Clipper Nation is ecstatic that the player they believed in throughout the summer league is getting a chance at some real playing time over the most experienced player on the team.