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Chris Paul stats & assists

Chris Paul: The Point God and his Playoffs Stats

Looking at Chris Paul and his career and playoff stats. Is he to blame for not winning an NBA championship?

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Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

Home » blog » basketball » NBA » Chris Paul: The Point God and his Playoffs Stats

Chris Paul, the point god and his playoff stats. He is one of the greatest point guards to ever play basketball in the NBA. What do Chris Paul’s playoff stats say about him, the answer is more than many fans want to give him credit for. He is one of the elite players to play the point guard position in the National Basketball Association.

This avid bowler and golfer makes his living dropping dimes.

assist-to-turnover ratio

What is a good assist-to-turnover ratio for a point guard in the NBA?

A good assist-to-turnover ratio for an elite NBA point guard is 3:1. A player with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.5:1 is the gold standard. It’s what every coach hopes for. It means his point guard only commits 1 turnover for every 3.5 assists he records.

Chris Paul assist-to-turnover ratio was 4:1 in 2021.

Chris Paul looks to improve his playoff stats as he takes the Phoenix Suns to the NBA playoffs in 2021

Chris Paul assist turnover ratio

When an NBA point guard has a 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, this is a very good number. It means that the player averages 3 assists for every turnover he commits. The assist-to-turnover ratio should be the first and last criteria used in judging the true effectiveness of any point guard.

It shows how efficient he is as a floor general.

Chris Paul assist turnover ratio with the Phoenix Suns in 2021 was 4:1. He has a 3.92 career assist-to-turnover ratio. For all of Chris Paul’s accolades and career stats, this is the most revealing in uncovering his greatness.

No NBA player has a higher career assist-to-turnover ratio than Chris Paul does. John Stockton has the second best ratio at 3.75.

4.65

As a member of the New Orleans Hornets in 2008, Chris Paul had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.64:1.

His highest assist-to-turnover ratio in a single season was in 2013-14 with the Los Angeles Clippers, he had a ratio of 4.65:1.

CP3 has had a 4:1 ratio in 12 of his 16 NBA seasons including the 2020-21 season with the Phoenix Suns. He is the only player in the NBA that’s ever accomplished this.

H.S

Christopher Emanuel Paul was a star point guard before he was a McDonald’s All-American or a First Team Parade All-American in 2003. He was a standout star and a part of the same high school class as LeBron James.

He played high school basketball at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina. Paul got national attention when he scored 61 points to honor his grandfather, Nathaniel Jones, who had been murdered earlier that year.

After returning to the basketball court, his first thought was…How can I go out there on that court knowing my grandfather’s not there? Paul said. And my aunt mentioned before I went to the Parkland game, she said, “How about 61 points for your granddad? And I just thought to myself, “That would be lovely and I just thought to myself, no way I can do that.

CP3 on basketball after his grandfather’s death

Nathaniel Jones

He said prior to the game that he would score 61 points. It would become known as the “Parkland game”. Parkland was CP3’s opponent that night.

He would score a point for each year of his grandfather, Nathaniel Jones’ life. Paul left the game after scoring 61 points. One point for each year his grandfather was alive.

His 61st point was on a drive to the net, as the ball dropped into the basket, CP3 was fouled, he intentionally missed the free throw by throwing it out of bounds and then left the game.

Chris Paul high school stats were all-american numbers, he averaged 30.8 points-per-game, 5.9 rebounds-per-game, 9.5 assists-per-game, and 6 steals-per-game as a senior in high school.

Wake Forest

CP3 playing at Wake Forest.

Chris Paul played two years of college basketball at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

CP3 was a First-Team Consensus All-American during his Sophomore season in 2004-05, leading Wake Forest to its first #1 national ranking in school history that same year.

He’d forego his final two seasons of college basketball to play professional basketball and enter the 2005 NBA Draft.

Paul’s #3 jersey was retired by the Demon Deacons in 2011.

Point God

Many NBA fans refer to the Suns veteran point guard with the abbreviation of his initials and jersey number, CP3, some use another nickname in referring to him, “the Point God”.

CP3 setting pace for the Hornets

CP3 is one of the best point guards in NBA history. It’s not really up for debate.

“The point god” has averaged 18.3 points-per-game, 9.4 assist-per-game and 2.1 steals for his career.

He has 471 career double-doubles and has a 47.2 field goal percentage. He shoots 37.1 from 3-point range too.

In 2020-21, Paul led the NBA in free-throw percentage (93.4%) and is at 87.3% for his 16 year NBA career.

He was drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets, two months before hurricane Katrina hit. CP3 played in his first NBA All-Star Game during the 2007-08 season.

Since then Chris Paul’s career stats and accolades have included,

  • 12x All-Star
  • 10x All-NBA (4-1st team)
  • 5x assist champion
  • 6x steals champion
  • 2006 NBA ROY
  • 9x All-Defense (7-1st team)
  • 2013 NBA All-Star Game MVP
  • NBA 75th Anniversary Team

Floor General

Paul as a basketball player is not a combo guard, he’s a true point guard. He sets the pace, he has great vision, and makes everyone playing with him look better and makes the game easier for his teammates.

He is not Allen Iverson, his game isn’t based on how many points he scores. He’s a master of the pick-and-roll, most auspiciously with Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers from 2011-17.

CP3 is a future first ballot Hall-of-Famer, first and foremost because he makes his teammates better with his vision and passing ability. His Lob passes to the rim are some of the best on target lobs in NBA history. He garnered the Los Angeles Clippers the nickname “LOB City” because of this.

Paul exhibits superior quickness and change of direction to go along with his top-notch agility and handles on the court. He displays good athleticism and has improved his jump shooting throughout his career.

All-Defense

Sometimes the “point god’s” defense isn’t recognized by the casual fan. I’ve even had people on social media tell me he wasn’t a good defender. The nine All-Defensive teams that the NBA has selected him to usually ends this argument.

CP3 has some of the quickest and most active hands in the history of the NBA. Trying to pass to the opposite side of the floor against Paul will only result in him picking off many of those attempts.

He possesses top-tier lateral quickness, the most vital aspect that make any player a great defender. Without lateral quickness, a player can’t possibly be a great perimeter defender.

New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets

Two of the games legends, Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant during a game stoppage at Staples Center.

After being with the 4th pick by the New Orleans Hornets in the 2005 NBA Draft, Chris Paul played most of his professional home games in his first two seasons in Oklahoma City due to Hurricane Katrina.

Paul was named NBA Rookie-of-the-Year for the 2005-06 season after leading all rookies in total points, assists, steals, and double-doubles. Becoming only the second rookie to lead the league in total steals.

The Hornets point guard finished his first campaign in the National Basketball Association averaging 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.2 steals-per-game.

CP3 played in his first NBA All-Star Game during the 2007-08 season. The game was in front of his home fans in New Orleans.

2008

The Hornets point guard had his breakout party in the 2007-08 season. The Hornets stopped playing in Oklahoma City and returned to New Orleans in 2007-08.

Chris averaged 21.1 points-per-game and led the NBA in assists (11.6) and steals-per-game (2.7). Paul finished second in NBA MVP voting and was named to his first All-NBA (1st team) and All-Defensive team (2nd team).

The franchise won 56 games and was the 2nd seed in the western conference. This was the first time Chris Paul did what he does for a team. He makes all of his teammates better.

If this were a video game, Paul would be the power-up for his teammates.

David West was the first example of this. West played in two consecutive NBA All-Star Games in 2008 and 2009.

His best scoring seasons came playing with Chris Paul. This was followed in Los Angeles with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

With the Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder Paul did the same. The Suns were a young team with talent before the veteran guard came to Phoenix. They didn’t even sniff the playoffs before Chris and now they are a favorite to win an NBA championship.

Leading the League

Chris Paul stats compared to Isiah Thomas'

Chris Paul has led the league in assists-per-game five-times during his career (2008-09, 2013-15, 2022). His career assist average is 9.5-per-game.

His league leading 10.8 assists-per-game in 2021-22 makes “The Point God” the oldest player to win an assists title, tying him with Steve Nash. Both accomplishing this at 36-years-old.

CP3 has led the NBA in steals-per-game six-times during his career too (2007-09, 2010-14). His career average is 2.1 steals-per-game.

Paul is also the only player in league history to lead the NBA in steals on six separate occasions (the No. 2 finishers in most times to lead the league in takeaways all merely did it three times), he was the youngest player to ever lead the NBA in assists (which he did at 22 years old while averaging 11.6 nightly), and one of just two players with multiple 20-point, 10-assist, 2-steal campaigns, along with Isiah Thomas.

In 2020-21, he led the NBA in free-throw percentage (93.4%)

Choke Artist?

Chris Paul started putting up playoff stats with the Hornets

Chris Paul has been amongst the leaders in 4th quarter stats, the last couple of seasons.

There is this sentiment circulating that Chris Paul is a choke artist in the playoffs. This isn’t true.

Chris Paul career playoff stats

The perception of Paul underperforming in the playoffs is overblown. … In 102 playoff games, Paul has averaged 20.9 points, 8.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game. Those numbers are in line, or better, with his career regular season averages of 18.5 points, 9.5 assists and 4.5 reb”.

Chris Paul has better career playoff stats than he has in the regular season. There are fans who will say that “he was 1-6 in the 4th quarter” of this game or that game, but as I stated before, he is a true point guard and it’s not really on him when his teammates don’t knock down shots that he sets up.

Paul’s playoff record is around .500, but he’s never really been on a team that was supposed to win an NBA championship. Some people saw the Clippers as a longshot contender, but no one was like “LAC IS THE BEST TEAM IN THE NBA”, because they weren’t.

After his first season in L.A, the Clippers went on to win at least 56 games in each of the next three seasons, with Paul pacing the league in assists for the latter two. But despite his efforts, the team was unable to advance past the conference semifinals.

Lakers Deal

Before he became a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, a deal was completed to send Paul to the Lakers in a 3-team deal involving the New Orleans Hornets, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers on December 8, 2011.

In the deal, CP3 would be traded to the Lakers to team-up with Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum. The trade was essentially Paul in exchange for Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol.

NBA Comissioner David Stern decided to veto the trade after it had been reported by the national media that it had been already completed and the trade was official.

Team USA

Chris Paul playing for USA in the Olympics.

Chris made his debut for the United States national team at the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Japan.

He won gold medals at both the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and in 2012 at the London games. The United States National team was undefeated in both of the Olympic Games that CP3 won Gold Medals.

“Clutch” Paul

There are playoff series’ that some fans will say Chris Paul choked, his career playoff stats speak differently though.

If you look at those playoff series’ and Chris Paul clutch stats, you will see CP3 averaged something like 23.5 points-per-game and 13 assists-per-game in some of these series losses.

Whether beating the Memphis Grizzlies late in a 2013 playoff game, beating the Portland Trail Blazers or taking a 3-2 series lead against the Golden State Warriors in 2018, he has been clutch.

Chris was selected president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) on August 21, 2013, after having served on the executive committee for four years.

2015

In game 7 of the 2015 Western Conference Finals against the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, “Clutch” Paul suffered a hamstring injury, when he returned to the game, his clutch performance led the Clippers to the next round. That includes the game winner and series clincher.

Watch above this section for his brilliant clutch performance highlights from that playoff game back in 2015.

Houston Rockets

Chris Paul went to the WCF with the Houston Rockets.

On June 28, 2017, Paul was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Darrun Hilliard, DeAndre Liggins, Lou Williams, Kyle Wiltjer, a future first round pick, and cash considerations.

As a member of the Houston Rockets with James Harden, CP3 helped lead Houston to a 65 win season and the best record in the western conference.

Paul dropped 41 points in a win over the Utah Jazz that sent the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals. This is Chris Paul’s career high in the playoffs.

Unfortunately up 3-2 in the WCF vs. Golden State, Paul had another hamstring injury and could not play in games 6 & 7. The Warriors came back to claim the series en route to another NBA championship.

On July 16, 2019, the Rockets traded Paul, two first-round draft picks, and two second-round pick swaps to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Russell Westbrook.

10K

On march 21, 2021, Paul became the sixth player in NBA history with 10,000 career assists. It came on a pass to Deandre Ayton in a game CP3 had a triple-double against the Los Angeles Lakers.

He is currently top five on the all-time NBA assists list. CP3 finished 2020-21 with 10,275 career assists, passing Magic Johnson (10,141) for fifth all-time.

Paul only needs 61 more assists to pass both Mark Jackson (10,334) and Steve Nash (10,335) to place him in the top three all-time in career assists. Jason Kidd is second on the list with 12,091 assists.

As Paul moves up the NBA’s all-time assist list, hopefully some of the people that deny him his due will reconsider their takes on his career.

20K-10K

On October 22, 2021, Paul became the first NBA player to ever total 20,000 points and 10,000 assists.

Oscar Robertson came close with only ended up with 9,887 assists and John Stockton came just short with 19,711 points.

CP3 is widely discussed near the top of the all-time point guard rankings.

Not without CP3

Chris Paul put up some unexpected playoff stats for the OKC Thunder in the bubble in 2020.

Many of Paul’s squads wouldn’t have made the playoffs if he wasn’t running the team. The Clippers teams that were so highly touted, in truth were overrated in my opinion.

If you take Paul off those teams, they are a 6-8 seed in the western conference. Similar to what Blake Griffin’s Detroit Pistons teams were.

When “The Point God” left to join the Houston Rockets, the Clippers didn’t make the playoffs for the first time since the season before he joined the franchise in 2010-11.

What he did for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2020 Bubble was just miraculous. He showed his legendary greatness in getting that team to the postseason, displaying his playoff brilliance in the Orlando bubble.

Phoenix Suns

On November 16, 2020, the Thunder traded Paul and Abdel Nader to the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, and a 2022 protected first round pick.

Chris Paul is an MVP candidate again in 2021 with the Phoenix Suns. He is showing a young team with no postseason experience, how to win with consistency.

CP3 is one of the top five point guards in NBA history and he is still adding to his accolades and playoff stats. A first ballot hall-of-famer, who will be enshrined for his passing and playmaking ability, that’s how he makes his teams better. By being the floor general that improves his teammates by making the game easier for them.

Update

This article was originally written on May 8, 2021. This update is being written on July 5, 2021, the day before the 2021 NBA Finals begins.

The purpose of this article was to show the greatness of CP3 for the people who think he is a NBA playoffs choker. This was never the case.

To the Finals

Chris paul has been putting up playoff stats, but now he will play for an NBA championship

CP3’s Phoenix Suns ran through the western conference with relative ease, defeating the L.A Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and L.A Clippers with relative ease.

After sweeping the Denver Nuggets, Paul tested positive for Covid-19 and missed the first two games of the WCF, returning to the basketball court for game 3 vs the Los Angeles Clippers.

WCF

In the western conference finals, series clinching, game 6, the Phoenix Suns’ Chris Paul equaled his NBA playoffs career high with 41 points. He also had 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals, all this done in a game where he didn’t commit a single turnover.

He was 16-24 from the field (66.7%) and shot 7-8 on three pointers (87.5%). The man with the best assist-to-turnover ratio in NBA history had zero turnovers in this conference clinching performance. Chilling stuff.

Paul will play in his first NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. Many fans need this championship to solidify Paul’s career. CP3 himself probably feels this way, but his greatness was set in basketball history before the 2021 postseason ever started.

From his inception into the public eye, the “scoring 61 points for your granddad” game, to fans saying he would never even make it to the NBA Finals.

Now CP3 looks to make his final push without any help from Patrick Beverly to the top of the NBA summit.

In short order everything will be history, delivered into the record books. Will CP3 have a championship ring in the end?

2021-22

On November 2, 2021, Chris Paul racked up 14 points and 18 assists, passing both Mark Jackson and Steve Nash for third on the NBA all-time career assists list.

February 3, 2022 marked Chris’ 50th career game with 10+ assists with no turnovers, the most such games in NBA history.

Paul became the 4th guard in NBA history to record 500 double-doubles on February 10, 2022. He passed Gary Payton on April 1, 2022 to move into 4th on the all-time steals list.

2022 Playoffs

Chris Paul had an incredible postseason game on April 28, 2022, he was a perfect 14-14 FG attempts and 4-4 from the free throw line. This is the NBA playoffs record for most field goals in a game without a miss

Heading into this game, the Suns held a 3-2 series lead on the New Orleans Pelicans in a western conference first round series.

Thursday’s 115-109 victory for Phoenix closed out the series. Just eight days shy of his 37th birthday, in a season highlighted by being named a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, in a city where his 17-year career began amid the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina.

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I provide highly opinionated sports articles. Most of these are featured articles. They will likely differ from the thoughts, stories and ideas, recycled by TV, radio, etc.

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