Open Thread: The Spurs winning percentage should improve with the addition of Chris Paul

Paul has a magic touch when he dons your team’s jersey

Chris Paul is often referred to as “The Point God.” But it is not just personal abilities on the court. Wherever CP3 has gone, he has improved the teams he has joined.

Paul was drafted 4th overall (like our newest draft acquisition Stephon Castle) in 2005 by the New Orleans Hornets.

He played with the Hornets for his first six seasons where helped improve their winning percentage from 22% to 46.3%.

But his first team is not his only success. Paul makes everyone around him better.

A post on Reddit entitles “The CP3 Effect” clearly illustrates his impact.

From the Los Angeles Clippers where he and DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin created “Lob City” and pushed their way into the postseason in each of Paul’s six seasons.

After moving to Houston, CP3 elevated an already impressive James Harden and the Rockets to the point where they nearly beat the champion caliber Golden State Warriors. Were it not for an injury to Paul, the Rockets may have made it to the NBA Finals.

Paul continued his reign in OKC, where he was traded for Russell Westbrook. It was expected for the Thunder to drop, but Paul’s impressive play landed Oklahoma City the fifth seed and the Thunder took his former Rockets team to a seventh game. Though they lost, Paul shined leading Sports Illustrated to refer to his time in OKC as success as they professed that he had “reestablished himself as one of the best point guards in the NBA.”

In 2020, Paul joined the Phoenix Suns and helped them make their way to the NBA Finals, his first ever trip after so many years in the mix.

Last year, he joined the Golden State Warriors, and even in a diminished role with statistical lows, he still managed to raise the bar in San Francisco.

With the Spurs coming off a 22-60 season, it seems most reasonable that after a year of adjusting to Victor Wembanyama their winning percentage will improve.

But with the insane numbers Paul has brought to each team he joins, it will be worth noting just how much better the San Antonio Spurs are with him this season.

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