It was officially announced today that Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul will retire after this season. This news isn't exactly a shocker, as Paul is 40 years old and hinted at retirement in the offseason. However, there's no denying that Paul has had a fantastic career. He's a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA member, nine-time All-Defensive member, five-time assist champ, and finished top three in MVP twice. The Point God also ranks second in career assists, only behind John Stockton.
Despite his undeniable greatness, Paul is a tricky player to evaluate when ranking players. Playing for seven teams in 21 seasons, CP3 is an NBA nomad. And while every team Paul went to improved their winning percentage (until this season), he never won a championship. Now feels like a perfect time to look at where Paul ranks among the all-time greats.
Where does Chris Paul rank among the best players of all-time?
Let's first take a look at where I place Paul among all NBA players before zooming in and looking at where he ranks simply among point guards. For time purposes, I won't run through my entire top 50 list (which I do have on my notes app for whatever reason). With that being said, I have CP3 at No. 32.
Before I get into some notable players within his range, I must confess, CP3 is my favorite player of all-time, he always has been. As a result, it's hard for me to know if my bias is a factor. However, looking at other lists online, I don't think I'm being too biased, but feel free to call me out if you'd like.
I don't want to spoil my point guard rankings yet, but just know that Paul, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, and Russell Westbrook are all neck and neck. I have Paul just above Allen Iverson, who spent most of his time as a shooting guard. While Iverson won MVP and was the more dynamic scorer, Paul's longevity and ability to elevate every team he's on give him the slight edge. Moreover, his efficiency and defense are advantages over AI. No disrespect to Iverson, though he's still easily top 35.
As much as I wanted to, I couldn't put Paul above his current teammate, James Harden. The beard's subpar playoff track record opened up a possibility, but he is one of the most gifted offensive engines in league history. It's tough to go against his blend of peak and longevity.
Another one of Paul's teammates who was hard to compare him to was Kawhi Leonard. I gave Kawhi the edge as he won two championships and is one of the best defenders of my lifetime. But his peak was so short, and if I want to put Paul above him, that's understandable; I almost did.
Charles Barkley and Karl Malone (yuck) were the only other two ringless players I put above Paul. Fair or not, they both won MVPs (Malone twice), and their teams had more success with them as the first option. Paul is clearly on the Mount Rushmore of ringless players, though.
Many of the notable players I rank Paul above were fellow point guards, so we'll get to that in a second. However, a few more notable names I have CP3 above include Paul Pierce, Willis Reed, Kevin McHale, Rick Barry, and Patrick Ewing.
Where does Chris Paul rank among the best point guards of all-time?
Since it's inherently a shorter list, here are my top 10 point guards.
Top 10 point guards of all-time |
|---|
1. Magic Johnson |
2. Steph Curry |
3. Oscar Robertson |
4. Isiah Thomas |
5. Jason Kidd |
6. Chris Paul |
7. Steve Nash |
8. Russell Westbrook |
9. John Stockton |
10. Walt Frazier |
As you can see CP3 comes in at No. 6 for me. But why?
Everyone knows Magic and Curry are in their own tier. I'd also have Robertson and Thomas in their own tier, two underrated all-time greats who dominated their respective eras.
From there, I'll listen to any arguments about 5-10, and I think Gary Payton could be in the mix as well. Kidd gets the edge for me, though. I genuinely think he's one of the most underrated players of all-time. A great passer, who made five All-NBA first teams, carried the Nets to two finals and later won a championship with the Dallas Mavericks as a role player. That's enough for him to lead "tier 3" in my eyes.
As for why I have Paul next, it's pretty simple: he showed that he makes every team better. Nash, Westbrook, and Stockton all needed the perfect system around them. And with all due respect, nobody thinks Nash deserves two MVPs. Give me Paul's 2007-08 season (which he should have won MVP for) over any season in Nash's career.
None of these three won championships, but Paul was the only one who made it to the championship as arguably the best player, and he was 35. Westbrook was a sixth man at 35.
For the talk about Paul only making one conference finals appearance, it is worth noting his playoff career average is 3.1 points higher than his regular season average.
Nash benefited from a perfect team around the "seven-seconds or less" Phoenix Suns. Stockton benefited from Malone. Westbrook benefited from Kevin Durant for much of his career (and didn't do anything in the playoffs without him). Paul got the most out of every single team he was on.
Yes, he played with Blake Griffin on the Lob City Clippers, but Paul made that system work. And for the first six years of his career, he carried underwhelming New Orleans Hornets squads. He routinely brought squads with David West and Peja Stojaković to the playoffs. Later, he turned the Suns from a bottom-feeder in the West to a contender.
Paul didn't win a championship, but he is a winning player. That should be his legacy.