[ad_1]

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Top accolades: 11 All-NBA selections, 12 All-Stars, seven All-Defensive 1st Team selections, two Olympic gold medals
Average stats: 17.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 9.4 apg, 2.1 spg, 47.1 FG%
NBA rank: 3rd in assists and steals, 37th in points
Future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul was an impact player from Day 1 in the NBA, arriving to the NBA a high-level floor general, which is extremely rare in the Association, especially for a diminutive player like Paul. Paul won Rookie of the Year in 2005-06 and was an All-Star and 1st Team All-NBAer by his third season, crazy feats to look back at in hindsight.
By now, everyone knows Paul’s game quite well. He’s got a killer mid-range game and is a fantastic playmaker. Paul also boasts a lot of longevity in a sport that’s not kind to small guys.
Today, Paul, at six-feet-tall, remains in the NBA and is currently the second-oldest player (38) in the league, something we’re pretty sure has never happened before for a player his size. Paul came close to winning MVP in 2007-08, the year Kobe Bryant won it. (For the record, CP3 beat Bryant in just about every advanced metric that season. Paul finished second league-wide in BPM and VORP that season but first in WS/48).
Paul has also come close to winning the only other major accolade he’s missing, a championship, particularly in 2020-21 when he got all the way to the Finals as a member of the Phoneix Suns and even held a 2-0 series lead over the Milwaukee Bucks before falling in six games.
Still, just looking at his career accolades and all-time statistical rankings, there’s no doubt Paul is the Short King of the NBA.
[ad_2]
Source link