The consensus opinion surrounding the Oklahoma City Thunder heading into the 2019-20 season was not favorable. After trading away Paul George and Russell Westbrook, the team was supposed to finish near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

That isn’t how the situation has played out for the Thunder. A key reason for that has been the professionalism and on-court impact of Chris Paul, a player who was supposed to not be interested in playing for Oklahoma City.

“Yup,” Paul said when asked if he expected to be in the position they are in heading into the season, via Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “I thought we’d actually have a better record. I don’t know who I said it to at some point, but I said, no offense, but as long as I’m on the court I feel like we’ve always got a chance. I don’t care what the team is, what it looks like, who it is or whatever.”

As things currently stand, the Thunder hold a 15-14 record and are seventh in the Western Conference standings. If they can continue to play basketball at an above .500 level, there is plenty of reason to have confidence in their ability to make the playoffs.

Paul is having a strong season with averages of 16.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists with tremendous overall efficiency. What doesn’t show up in the stats sheet is the mentorship that Paul has provided Shai Gilgeous-Alender throughout the season, which could pay off significantly in the long-term.

The Thunder are back in action on Thursday when they host the Memphis Grizzlies at Chesapeake Energy Arena.