The New Orleans Hornets were quite the formidable force back in the day. The franchise, which has since been renamed the New Orleans Pelicans, has a historied past with stars like Chris Paul and David West making their NBA debuts with the franchise. The Hornets, of the early 2000s, were among the top teams in the West, even managing to win 56 games with Paul and West at the center of the arena.
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While Paul has had a historic career overall, he has often been tagged as an ‘overrated’ player/defender. His former teammate, David West, didn’t seem to agree with the narrative, as he took to ‘Forgotten Seasons Podcast’ to clear the air around Paul. During the show, the All-Star forward was asked if Paul had a rightful place alongside all-time defensive guards like Garry Payton and Jason Kidd. He replied,
“Yeah, Definitely…He[Chris Paul] was getting passing lane steals on the ball…He was an off-ball defender. He is very competitive…his competitiveness kept him in the fight against bigger guards…what he was and who he was kept him at the upper echelons of the point guard position.”
Then-Hornets selected West with the 18th pick of the stacked 2003 NBA draft, where he played alongside future Hall of Famer, Chris Paul. Paul was electric from the time he stepped foot on an NBA floor, even receiving All-Rookie Honors in his first season. Soon, he started drawing comparisons with star point guards around the league, even making the All-Star game in just his second season.
Chris Paul’s defensive accolades speak for themselves
Chris Paul has historically been a great defender. While Paul’s strengths never lay in isolation plays, the undersized guard made his livings on steals and reflections. Paul even made the All-defensive first team on seven occasions, appearing consecutively from 2012-17.
He also made two appearances on the All-defensive second team, as he leads all active players in steals and assists. The narrative around Paul being a “cone” on defense is clearly not backed by any solid reasoning. CP3’s numbers clearly pointed to the Warriors guard being an All-time defender for his position.
While it’s true that CP was an elite defender, his numbers on the defensive end of the ball have continued to deteriorate over the years. He even recorded his worst defensive season, with a 114.6 rating in the 2023-24 regular season. Even though the Warriors have not played like a championship-contending side this season, CP has been all praises for the defensive abilities of their elite defender, Draymond Green.
