Chris Paul insists he’s healthy. He says his knee isn’t bothering him. But if you watched him in December and you watched him in March, you’re going to have a hard time buying it.
The question is — will Paul ever be right? I mean right like he was three seasons ago?
Maybe it doesn’t matter. Ryan Schwan (of Hornets247) wrote a fantastic column at TrueHoop about the evolution of Paul. He has never been a baller who solely relies on being more athletic than you. He has skills, he has hoop IQ. He has the ability to adjust. And the template of exists.Whereas Paul was once on track to be Isiah Thomas 2.0, he has become something else entirely without that lightning first step. It might be time for a new comparison: Paul has become John Stockton 2.0…
He’s still quick, elusive and able to free himself and his teammates for baskets, but these days, his play in the half court is almost entirely reliant on misdirection and clever ballhandling. He goes to the basket less, but compensates by shooting at a better clip than ever before. With his strength and low center of gravity intact, he often relies on running into opposing players to force them to retreat and give him room to shoot….
Regardless, it has been an amazing transformation over the course of less than a year. As he’s encountered new limitations, he has shifted his focus to being the best floor general he can be.
Schwan notes that the tables have flipped — it used to be that Deron Williams was the less athletic and more cerebral player of the two elite point guards (who will forever be compared because they were taken back-to-back in the 2005 draft). Now, Williams relies more on his athleticism than Paul.
The problem is that despite Paul’s evolution, the team is struggling — 3-7 in their last 10. The problem is that the lack of evolution by the team may have him taking his talents elsewhere in a couple years. And there will be a large market for those Stockton-like talents.
