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In The Lane With Licht: December 16, 2005
There aren’t many players in the NBA (where the average height is 6-foot-7) shorter than Hornets rookie point guard Chris Paul, the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft.
For one of the smallest players in the league to be the best player on his team certainly has to be considered against the norm. Then again, almost everything about Chris Paul goes against conventional thinking. He’s a 20-year-old with maturity beyond his years. He’s a 6-footer who rebounds better than many behemoths in the league (5.9 per game). He’s a first-year player who commands respect in the locker room. He’s a guard who prefers a pass to a shot, which is about as common in the NBA these days as a set shot. Chris Paul is not only the best of a very good rookie crop this season; he’s a diamond in a very rough league. He’s the purest of pure point guards, and he’s the most talented of a gifted point guard draft class (a group that includes Deron Williams of Utah, Raymond Felton of Charlotte, Nate Robinson of New York, Luther Head of Houston, Orien Greene of Boston and Salim Stoudamire of Atlanta). He already has a great game and a great nickname (CP3) and the numbers to back up them up. Here’s where he ranks among first-year players in various categories: Wait, there’s more. Hold on, there’s still more. He’s averaging more assists per game than Dwyane Wade, Tony Parker and Gilbert Arenas – all likely NBA All-Stars in Houston this February. He’s had at least one steal in every game and two or more steals in 15 of his 22 games. But the impact he’s having on this Hornets team is something that appears in every newspaper in the country: 10 wins through 22 games. That’s approximately two months ahead of last year’s forgettable 18-win season. At the current pace (7 wins in November) of seven victories per month, the Hornets would be in the playoff hunt in the NBA’s BESTern Conference and finish with a 42-40 record. Don’t laugh. The Hornets already have victories over Phoenix, Sacramento, Seattle, Denver and Philadelphia (all playoff teams last season) and Minnesota and the L.A. Clippers (two likely playoff teams this season). Once they get past perhaps their toughest month of the season (December) they have some favorable matchups next month. Atlanta, Charlotte (twice), New York and Portland all appear beatable. In addition, there are 16 off days in January. It’s still too early to officially call the Hornets playoff contenders, but the baby steps they’ve made in their first six weeks of the season are encouraging signs. Couple that with the expected week-by-week improvement of emerging star Chris Paul at the point and it’s reasonable to believe this cast of youngsters will show progress as the Hornets play into the middle of the six-month season. There were at least three NBA draft doubters ahead of the Hornets who must be questioning their decision to pass on Paul, which is ironic. After all, the most important thing on the floor for the selfless CP3 happens to be… passing.
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Bob Licht