Chris Paul's ability to make enormous impact on the floor has unsurprisingly dwindled in recent years, with the L.A. Clippers quickly learning that harsh lesson just as the Golden State Warriors did two years ago.
Paul had started every game of his career and averaged at least 31 minutes in each of his first 18 seasons in the league, but it was the Warriors who scaled that back during his one year with the franchise in 2023-24.
Clippers have quickly realized Chris Paul is a bit-part rotation player
The veteran point guard came off the bench in 40 of his 58 games with Golden State, averaging 26.4 minutes in a backcourt that also featured Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and a then emerging rookie in Brandin Podziemski.
Paul was solid during his lone season with the Warriors, but he certainly wasn't the same player that helped the Phoenix Suns all the way to the NBA Finals a couple of years earlier. Golden State had no interest in guaranteeing his $30 million contract unless it was part of a trade, something they failed to pull off which left Paul to enter free agency where he signed with the San Antonio Spurs.
The young, rebuilding Spurs offered Paul an opportunity to return to a starting role and big minutes, having prioritized the need for a pass-first point guard to help the developing Victor Wembanyama without the pressure of too much imminent team success.
The 40-year-old is now back with a veteran team looking to contend, but this is looking more like a retirement tour than it is Paul really being able to aid in the Clippers' championship aspirations. He's averaging just 2.3 points and 3.6 assists in his 12.3 minutes per game, having shot 24% from the floor and 26.3% from 3-point range.
Paul played less than 10 minutes in a 115-102 loss in Phoenix on Thursday, then was a complete DNP at home on Saturday night against the Suns as the Clippers lost a second-straight game to their pacific rival.
Iliyan Lakhani of Clipperholics summed it up even before Saturday's DNP, suggesting that the future Hall of Famer is giving head coach Ty Lue nothing but problems early this season.
In LA as a Clipper, Paul has simply given Tyronn Lue a bunch of problems he cannot fix," Lakhani said. "This season, the 12-time All-Star has proven nothing. In fact, he is playing like any 40-year-old would on offense: slow, out of rhythm, and inefficient.
Perhaps his time with the Spurs hid some of Paul's limitations to winning basketball at this point of his career, but the Clippers probably should have seen his year with the Warriors as an indication given his addition couldn't even lead to a playoff appearance.