Every NBA team’s greatest point guard of all time

New Orleans Pelicans — Chris Paul

2005-2011
18.7 points per game
9.9 assists per game
4.6 rebounds per game

Yeah, this one is Chris Paul again. Ignoring how messy the end of his New Orleans tenure was, Chris Paul was an important member of this franchise. He grew to be a star in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when the Hornets were forced to play in Oklahoma City. He made an impact right away. He led all rookies in total points, assists, steals, and double-doubles. That steals number was also a league leader, as Paul showed tenacity and prowess to get the ball from his opponent.

About two years into his career, the Hornets finally made the move back to New Orleans full time. In 2007-08, Paul became one of the best players in the league. He was second in the MVP race after leading the Hornets to a franchise-record 56 wins. Paul played very well in the playoffs that season, but the San Antonio Spurs took them out in the second round.

Paul was so good with the Hornets, that on a few occasions he came close to a quadruple-double. He was always a few steals short of the miraculous feat. Paul was already the best point guard in the league at this point, and there were already questions about how long that could stay in New Orleans. He ended up signing a $68 million extension to quiet the haters for now.

Paul suffered a few injuries over the next couple of seasons, and the Hornets struggled to have the same success they had early in Paul’s career. It seemed like they would eventually lose Paul to free agency, especially after he showed displeasure with the firing of head coach Byron Scott. Also, the ownership situation couldn’t help. Still, the six-year run with Chris Paul was special for the city of New Orleans as they looked to recover from the devastation of Katrina.