Clippers Face Harsh Truth About Chris Paul
The San Antonio Spurs are currently excelling early in the season, driven by standout performances from Steph Castle and Dylan Harper. In contrast, the Los Angeles Clippers have come to recognize a significant shortcoming in one of their major free-agent signings, point guard Chris Paul.
Paul’s Time with the Spurs Revealed a Key Weakness
Chris Paul spent a season with the Spurs, aiding the growth of a young roster with his leadership and playmaking skills. However, a critical limitation became evident: Paul struggled to attack the paint offensively. This issue contributed to the Spurs ranking poorly in rim drives when Paul was on the court.
Impact on Spurs’ Offensive Strategy
The Spurs aim to address this by adding De'Aaron Fox to their lineup alongside Harper and Castle, all noted for their ability to drive to the basket. The inability of a point guard to penetrate the paint seriously restricts their scoring and passing potential, especially in pick-and-roll situations.
Clippers Wrestle with This Reality
The Clippers are now confronting the effects of Paul's limitation firsthand. Success in offensive plays like collapsing defenses to open up three-point shots or finding the roll man for easy dunks depends heavily on a point guard’s capacity to attack the basket.
Expectations Versus Reality
When San Antonio signed Paul, there was hope he would transform Victor Wembanyama into a lob threat, but this outcome did not materialize.
"Having a point guard who can't touch the paint on offense dramatically limits their effectiveness as a scorer and especially as a passer."
"Whether it be collapsing defenses, which leads to open threes, or finding the roll man for an easy dunk in the pick-and-roll, a point guard must be able to attack the basket."
Author’s summary: The Clippers’ recent struggles highlight Chris Paul’s long-known difficulty attacking the paint, a weakness the Spurs experienced firsthand and are now working to overcome.