Los Angeles Clippers: Chris Paul Eyeing 7th First Team All-Defense Nod
Despite missing a significant portion of the season with a thumb injury, Chris Paul has once again been the best defensive point guard in the league. As the season winds down, he is on track to make his sixth straight appearance on the NBA's top All-Defensive team and seventh overall.
The Los Angeles Clippers were on fire to start the 2016-17 season. Their offense was solid, but their defense was taking the league by storm. They allowed just 89.3 points per 100 possessions in their first eight games, and their Net Rating of +16.1 would have been a league record by a wide margin.
While that defensive dominance has not held firm for the entire season, the leader of that defense has held strong. Chris Paul is once again having a spectacular defensive season. He has locked up opposing point guards every night and is once again near the top of the steals leaderboard.
Paul has made the All-NBA Defensive Team for five consecutive years and is on his way to a sixth. Voters might be hesitant to name him to the team since he missed a significant number of games this season. However, he is on pace to meet the minimum requirements to make the statistical leaderboards. Furthermore, his defensive dominance over his peers makes him an easy choice for another All-Defense nod.
Statistical Dominance
Chris Paul has been a dominant defensive force at the point of attack for most of his career. This season ranks up there with the best defensive seasons of his career, despite missing a chunk of it with a thumb injury.
Paul is leading all point guards in Defensive Real Plus-Minus and is doing so by a wide margin. The difference between his league-leading 3.45 DRPM and Patrick Beverley in second place is almost equal to the margin between Beverley and 10th place Kyle Lowry.
Despite his small 6'0″ frame, Paul is one of the more physical defenders in the league. He bodies up most opposing point guards as soon as they cross half court. Once he gets into an opposing player, he is quick enough to keep them in front of him and savvy enough to avoid falling for pump fakes. Even on the rare occasion that opponents manage to work around Paul, he recovers as well as anyone in the league:
The Clippers allow 1.043 points per possession with Paul on the court, per nbawowy.com. That number jumps to 1.138 points per possession with Paul out.
Additionally, the Clippers have a Defensive Rating of 106.4 this season overall per NBA.com. During the stretch that Paul missed with his thumb injury, their Defensive Rating skyrocketed to 112.4, which is 1.7 points per possession worse than the league-worst 110.7 mark of the Los Angeles Lakers. In short, the Clippers have a mediocre defense this year that craters with Paul out of the game.
Steals Maven
In addition to his strengths as an individual defender, Chris Paul is one of the league's best at generating turnovers. In addition to his quick hands, he is very adept at reading passing lanes. He reads Zach Randolph's eyes perfectly on this play, his second of six steals in the game:
Paul is averaging 2.1 steals per game this season. He has a chance to catch Draymond Green for the top spot in steals per game, which would make this his seventh season leading the league in steals. Furthermore, he is currently tied with Tony Allen for the best steal percentage in the league, per Basketball-Reference.
When Paul can steal the ball and run out in transition, the Clippers can take advantage of their athleticism for easy buckets. Paul can either score himself as he does against the Grizzlies, he can also wait for Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan to charge up the floor for an alley-oop, or for J.J. Redick to spot up for an open three. Transition opportunities are a boon for any offense, and Chris Paul can generate those looks as well as anyone in the league.
Historically Great Defender
With a seventh All-Defensive First Team nod in sight, Chris Paul is on track to go down as one of the best point guard defenders in league history. Paul's seventh selection would tie him with Walt Frazier for the second-most nominations for a point guard. Paul is also currently tied with Dennis Johnson for fourth among guards.
Paul also has a decent chance at catching up to Gary Payton in First Team selections. Payton leads all point guards with nine First Team nods, tied with Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Michael Jordan for the all-time lead. Although history would indicate that Paul's defense will fall off shortly, his defensive intelligence may help him stay ahead of his oncoming decline in athleticism.
Few players in NBA history can match up to Chris Paul's defensive excellence. He is already one of the league's most decorated defensive players, and he has a very good chance of adding more accolades this season. Some voters might be hesitant to nominate Paul given his injury absence. However, the defensive statistics and the eye test indicate his defensive brilliance. Paul has earned another All-Defensive team nomination to add to his already impressive collection.
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