FOR A MOMENT, there was a question of whether Chris Paul would ever play a game in an Oklahoma City Thunder uniform.
It came last summer after two franchise-changing exchanges, one sent All-Star Paul George for young prospects and long-term resources, and the other acquired Paul (and other choices) for the icon of the Russell Westbrook team. The deal prompted an inevitable teardown after a decade of contention for the top-tier championship. Most thought Paul wished he had nothing to do with that sort of thing at this stage in his career.
“Everyone is always trying to tell your story,” Paul said earlier this season. “Everyone said I didn’t want to be here, did they?”
The organization explored the NBA commercial market for its newly acquired point guard, knowing he is still productive but will be 38 in the final year of a deal that will pay him $ 45 million.
With a war chest of draft capital, along with some more desirable players on the roster, it seemed to be a question of when – not if – the Thunder seemed on the verge of moving into a new era. And Paul’s move would be the official start of tearing down the walls and starting a renovation.
But Paul ended up doing more than setting the table to restart the franchise. He has kept OKC competitive now and repositioned his basketball brand. He transformed the Thunder into a democratic, balanced and ball-moving machine, drawing on the kind of style they envision for the future.
Going back to Thanksgiving and through to the league’s coronavirus close on March 11, the Thunder achieved the second-most wins in the NBA, behind only the Milwaukee Bucks, and the third-best overall record (34-13) behind only the playoffs. n. 1 semi Milwaukee and Los Angeles Lakers.
After the summer moves, those signs looked ridiculous. During the preseason, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gave them a 0.2% chance of making it to the playoffs. They were destined for a full rebuild, not fighting for a second round match with the Lakers.
“I’ve been saying that for a long time,” said Paul on Saturday, “I can’t live up to anyone else’s expectations.”
The Thunder run ended in seven grueling games against the Rockets favorites, taking all 340 minutes and 59 seconds to finally knock them out. Paul was great at navigating a tough streak, managing the lows of blast losses and planning a near flawless run to get three breathtaking wins, including a master class in Race 6 that showed his clutch magnitude.
Wednesday in Game 7, the Thunder had the series where they wanted: in the hands of Paul. In first place with 25 seconds left, Paul was in his element, the perfect time for now, but the Rockets wanted him everywhere but there. They sent a double team to Paul, and as is in his DNA, he tried to make the right play. The ball was deflected, Thunder possession exploded and Paul never got his shot in a 104-102 defeat.
It was a deflating end to a euphoric season for the Thunder and Paul. But they shouldn’t have been there anyway.
“We fought hard all year,” said Paul after the game. “Obviously a lot of people doubted us, but we didn’t doubt ourselves. We didn’t care about anyone’s predictions in any series. And whatever game we expected to win. That’s how we played all season, every game. , we expected to win “.
Paul’s Thunder, in year 1, surpassed all expectations except his own. And even after a fourth straight playoff outing in the first round, Oklahoma City won’t rebuild anything. Not as long as Paul is in uniform.
USE WORDS LIKE THAT like “rejuvenation” or “rebirth” around Paul, and he’ll give you a look.
It’s an exception to the idea that he had a return season in Oklahoma City, because that would mean he went somewhere he needed to come back from.
“Rebirth? Where do you come up with these words?” Carmelo Anthony, Portland Trail Blazers forward and close friend of Paul, said in February. “I talk about it too.”
So let’s choose a different word: reintroduction.
Statistically, nothing was that different. Up in some areas, down in others. The Point God became the Clutch God this season, dominating the league when it mattered. Paul has always tried to produce to win, but he found a near-perfect pace by choosing his seats alongside young guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder.
The number Paul likes to focus on the most, though, is the games. He played in all but one – for personal reasons, while mourning the death of close friend Kobe Bryant. This was Paul’s healthiest season since 2014-15, when he played in all 82 games for the LA Clippers.
Last summer, he switched to a vegan diet, didn’t freeze his knees after games, and stayed active in training. It was even on the other side – the drenched side – of a stunning Westbrook alley-oop in the All-Star Game, a moment of passing the baton almost even on the nose with symbolism.
There are elements of Paul’s game, however, that are timeless. He has never been the biggest, the strongest or the fastest on the track, but he is almost always the smartest. Paul reads the game at a level that few have. It only took a couple of scrimmages for the Thunder staff to astound the subtleties of his game, the slight oversights, the punctual passes into the shooting pockets, the anticipation of a defender’s next move, the dekes and counterdekes. Paul is a true basketball talisman.
“He’s the best leader I’ve ever been to,” said Denver Nuggets manager Mike Malone, who was an assistant during Paul’s time with the New Orleans Hornets earlier this season.
“He was born to drive. And he accepts it. And he’s not afraid to do it.”
With the Rockets, Paul was chosen as the piece of a bigger puzzle, confined to the edge of playing alongside perennial MVP nominee James Harden.
Paul had returned to playing the role of house general with the Thunder, without alternating in solitary confinement or bewildering minutes with Harden. But it’s not like he’s always getting the ball. That’s not what he wants.
In fact, that’s one of the reasons he wanted to leave the Clippers. He got tired of pulling him out all the time, wasting energy when an annoying opponent point guard took him across the board.
“Throughout my career, everyone has always said I had to have the ball in my hands, but the thing was,” Paul said in February, “I actually wanted to get it out of my hands.”
What Paul has back in his hands is a team. The Thunder has taken on its personality this season: a tireless and competitive group unwilling to bend. They shared the ball and played with no ego.
“I’m happy for him,” Anthony said. “Because I know how heavy it is on his shoulders [it was] be in OKC, have the opportunity to play basketball, be with a group of kids and have fun. “
IT’S SAFE let’s say no player has ever had a year like Chris Paul’s 2020.
It was fitting that he was inside the Chesapeake Energy Arena – the center of the NBA shutdown – on March 11 when Utah Jazz all-star Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, because, as president of the players union , had to be in the middle of restarting it.
He spent months in calls with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts, and other union members, arranging for the championship restart in Orlando, Florida.
Paul was instrumental in establishing a plan to draw attention to social injustices and offer players a platform. And it was a prominent rumor again as players reached a crossroads last week in the wake of Jacob Blake’s police shooting.
In all of this, Paul’s attention never strayed from the Thunder.
“If a young player can understand what a Chris Paul can give him, then it’s a huge career advantage. Chris is an alpha. He’s a natural leader. He takes no prisoners. He doesn’t suffer fools. He’s there to win.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich
He watched movies with younger players, educated and trained, strengthened and strengthened their confidence.
“Chris is obviously one of the best pure point guards I’ve ever played, and no matter his age, he deserves the respect he gets,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “Honestly, it’s just a blessing to be in the position where I can learn from him firsthand.”
With veterans, mentoring is often assumed, but it doesn’t always happen.
“It’s less common than you might think,” said San Antonio Spurs manager Gregg Popovich. “There aren’t one or two in every NBA team. Some NBA teams don’t. He’s a special type.”
Some who know Paul well note that there may sometimes be an expiration date in his approach. He can scratch people, ask for a lot, and expect them to adhere to a standard. He expects to win.
As in his role as union president, over the years he has learned to postpone. He learned to drive without the ball in his hands. And his style has evolved, both on the floor and off, to allow someone else to talk about it.
Paul and Gilgeous-Alexander quickly connected, the veteran guard and the future of the franchise joke and entertain each other in the media sessions at the start of the season.
Paul was instrumental in boosting rookie Luguentz Dort’s confidence after the Rockets actually stopped protecting him, and Dort went 0 of 9 from 3 in Game 5. Paul consistently cheered Dort, publicly and privately, and the unsuccessful rookie. answered with 30 points in game 7.
“If a young player can understand what a Chris Paul can give them, then it is a huge advantage for his career,” Popovich said. “Chris is an alpha. He is a natural leader. He takes no prisoners. He does not suffer fools. He is there to win.”
Most importantly, Paul is planting the seeds for the repositioning of the franchise, or to rebuild or rebuild or whatever.
And as usual, his setup was on time and on time.
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