AAlthough his arrival completely changed the status of the team, Chris Paul’s time at the Suns was accompanied by fine print: age. The base, which is ready for a while, he knew since he set foot in Arizona that he had to delegate a good share of leadership to Devin Booker despite still being the team leader. And this transfer of responsibilities has not stopped growing in Paul’s three seasons in Phoenix.
There have been sections since the start of 21-22 in which the dosage of CP3 has been very clear. Both at times of the season and in the matches themselves, where assumes the vast majority of his shots as he enters his homestretch. And this course has been the epitome of this trend.
Paul forced us to think that he took the regular season as an effort management in order to conserve energy for when he arrived the moment of truth: the playoffs. But the shaky start to the current campaign has raised serious questions about his validity as a differential star of the league.
to old age smallpox
Trying to find his game as the months go by, the point guard was giving up his traditional shot from the elbow of the zone and his internships in the paint to replace it with triples that saved strength and still allow greater inner freedom to Devin Booker, that he was signing a career season in scoring.
piggyback with discomfort in your hip and until the debut of Kevin Durant, Paul averaged 4.4 triples released per match. The most since he is in Phoenix and second only to his years in Houston on the side of James Harden. His percentages were already good (37.5%), but have suffered a rebound when sharing track with KD (40% according to PBP Stats).
The Suns are undefeated (8-0) in games played with Durant
CP3 has reduced the number and effectiveness of the plays it executes in pick and roll and clarified per game over the past two seasons. Throw from the middle distance in minimum figures (3.7 shots per game according to NBA Stats) since his time with the Rockets (where the team’s analytical approach took away that part of his game). Also Distribute fewer assists and attack fewer penetrations.
By physical necessity, he had already been changing towards a direction of play much further away from the hustle and bustle of the arealeaving the indirect blocking systems and the marks that Booker received who did his dirty work. But the arrival of Durant causes that the diminished version of the base seen this course continues to be a luxury with which few have.
Chris Paul: “I should have made more triples”
“I’ve never played guys who get so many second helpings like them [Durant y Booker]”, he said tonight after scoring seven triples, his personal record. “Simply i have to take those shots. These games are important to pick up rhythm [de cara a playoffs]”.
One month shy of his 38th birthday, Booker and Durant are the legs Paul needs. And, hand in hand with a new role, maybe basketball will give him back everything he has given him.
