THE POINT GOD

Chris Paul was involved in one of the biggest trades of this offseason. After a disappointing series against the Kevin Durant-less Golden State Warriors, the Rockets had the need to shake up their roster in order to be the most competitive possible while James Harden’s in his prime. Much was said about CP3 and his situation in Oklahoma City. Some were expecting for the franchise to buy him out, but the numbers were too high for them go that route. Others were pretty much set that the Point Guard would be traded for a team like the Miami Heat, while a small minority thought that the veteran would be of great need for the Thunder, not only because he’s still an excellent player but because his guidance to Shai and Schroeder could help them grow as players.

Vintage Point God shot.



Chris Paul getting it done in the clutch. pic.twitter.com/W16eviCtl7 — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 1, 2020

The start of the season for OKC was not pleasant. With only a win in their first 5 games, everyone thought about Billy Donovan’s squad as one of the top lottery teams this season. But things slowly started to change. Shai’s growth as a player came to life as he was starting to play at an All-Star level after that first stretch of bad games. They always maintained themselves with a record that was possible to fight for a playoff spot, and honestly, they could only get better with time, as their starting five was practically new besides Steven Adams and Terrance Ferguson. Besides Andre Roberson, a medical case that doesn’t seem to come to an end, the Thunder didn’t sustain any major injury, something that chemistry-wise helped them build a strong foundation until now.

PLAYOFF BOUND?

Fast forward to now and the Thunder are 8-1 in their last 9 games, with their only loss coming to a surprising Memphis Grizzlies team. Chris Paul, who leads the league in 4th quarter clutch points is averaging 19.5 PPG, 7.3 APG and 6.9 RPG on 51% FG, 44% 3P and 97% FT shooting splits over this stretch. The Point God, like he’s known, is having himself a pretty good year, shutting up a lot of critics that were eager to see his downfall on what was projected a lottery team. Oklahoma City sits in 7th place on the Western Conference with a 19-14 record, and will most likely make the playoffs if they continue this level of play. For much criticism he received, and some rightfully so, Billy Donovan is doing wonders with the young cast he received. The insane amount of draft picks along Shai-Gilgeous Alexander make this Thunder team one to watch out for the future. Safe to say that their rebuild is going at an extremely fast pace after Russell Westbrook and Paul George saw their way out of the franchise.