Basketball

“Chris Paul leads the NBA in assists and steals in his 16th season”: Suns superstar is throwing it back to his Clippers days while leading Phoenix to a top seed in the loaded West

Samir Mehdi
|PublishedNov 15, 2021

“Chris Paul leads the NBA in assists and steals in his 16th season”: Suns superstar is throwing it back to his Clippers days while leading Phoenix to a top seed in the loaded West

May 30, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) gets the ball against the defense of Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul (3) during the second half in game four of the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Paul currently leads the NBA in both the assists and steals category; something he hasn’t done since his 2014 season with the Clips.

The Phoenix Suns startled the entirety of the NBA landscape by making it to the 2021 NBA Finals after making a singular blockbuster move to acquire veteran point guard, Chris Paul, the previous offseason. Though they did not win the championship, they proved that they belong in the same echelon as teams such as the Lakers, Jazz, and Warriors.

After a shoddy 1-3 start to the season following a loss to the Sacramento Kings, the Phoenix Suns have been blistering hot, going on an 8 game winning streak that is yet to be snapped. Granted, the competition that they have faced during this streak is questionable, with Memphis being the best team they faced on this streak, they hold the 2nd seed out West.

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With Devin Booker getting off to a slow start, Chris Paul has been their saving grace in terms of getting guys open looks and generating fast-break opportunities.

Chris Paul currently leads the NBA in assists and steals.

Chris Paul has sustained himself in a manor that has been quite impressive to say the least. He put up multiple 40 point games in last season’s Playoffs and did so efficiently while also racking up his usual double digit assist numbers as well. Coming into the 2021-22 NBA season, there seems to be little to no regression in CP3’s game.

As of November 15th, 2021, the ‘Point God’ leads the NBA in assists per game (10.4) and steals per game (2.8). He hasn’t done this since his season with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2013-14. Granted, it has only been 12 games so far and only time will tell if he will be able to sustain this lead over the rest of the league for the remaining 70 games.

The Phoenix Suns, when engaged on defense, tend to swarm over the opposing team in quite the hectic manor, thanks to Chris Paul. He averages a whopping 3.8 deflections a game; nearly 25% of all of the Suns’ deflections which come out to about 16 a game. Safe to say the 2.8 steals a game are very much real for the legendary point guard.

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About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.