Preface
Speaking of Chris Paul, the first thing that comes to everyone's mind may be that he has been chasing the NBA championship but has been asking for it, and he seems very incompetent. However, in fact, Chris Paul is not as unbearable as everyone thinks, he once averaged 21.1 points, 11.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game in his rookie third year, and he can compete with Kobe Bryant for the regular season MVP. But then again, Chris Paul was so strong as a rookie, why was he the 4th overall pick back then?
You know, the 1996 champion Aaron Iverson performed like this, the two are not bad at all except for explosiveness, and Chris Paul also has a one-handed organization, which is completely half a pound in comparison. Therefore, there is no reason why Allen Iverson was the No. 1 pick in the 1996 draft, but Chris Paul was the fourth overall pick in the 2005 draft. Today, the author will take you to re-understand the story of Chris Paul and see why he was only the 4th pick back then.
became famous at a young age, and at the same time experienced ups and downs and became extremely mature
Born in Louisville, North Carolina in May 1985, Chris Paul was introduced to basketball from an early age with the support of his father and quickly developed into a hobby and a life goal. At the same time, Chris Paul is also a rugby player like Aaron Iverson, and even though he is slightly short, he is a shining star on the rugby field despite his speed. And because of his football experience, this experience made Chris Paul more confrontational, gradually became famous in high school, and played good statistics, that is, he averaged 25 points, 5.3 assists and 4.4 steals per game in his sophomore year, leading the school team to a 26-4 record and reaching the semifinals of the interstate league.
However, just as Chris Paul was having a good time, his family suddenly had an accident. His maternal grandfather was robbed and killed. Therefore, the grief-stricken Chris Paul directly scored 61 points in a single game to commemorate his grandfather's age when he died, and vowed to make a performance to tell his grandfather's soul in heaven. After that, Chris Paul's style of play became more mature, and he became a monster throughout the second half of his junior season, averaging 30.8 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals per game, and was known as "Mr. Basketball in North Carolina".
Entered college with conviction, but physical limitations prevented Chris Paul from taking it further
Chris Paul's exaggerated performance in high school led Chris Paul to receive offers from countless basketball schools, but he didn't hesitate and chose Wake Forest University. Because it was a childhood goal, he told his family, including his maternal grandfather, that he would join Wake Forest like Tim Duncan and lead the team to an NCAA championship. After entering college, Chris Paul averaged 14.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in his freshman season, and was selected as the ACC Rookie of the Year and selected to the ACC District All-Defensive Team.
The rookie season was so strong, and Chris Paul should have been stronger after that, but unfortunately, due to his body, especially his height of only 180cm, his ceiling is only that, and the statistics in his sophomore season are still 15.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. Of course, there is still some improvement, and he was selected to both the ACC All-America First Team and the ACC All-Defensive Team in his sophomore season, and his defense has improved significantly. Perhaps feeling that he could no longer improve in college games, Chris Paul announced that he would participate in the 2005 NBA Draft after his sophomore season, actively preparing for the tryout.
Height is a hard injury, and the ceiling is far more important for NBA teams than the floor
In 2005, Chris Paul participated in the audition, the results were actually quite good, especially the physical test data, 182cm height, 194cm arm span, 81.2cm bounce on the spot and 332.7cm height for running. Judging from his height and reach, he can achieve such a bounce and touch height, which is definitely talented. Unfortunately, the limitation of height limits his ceiling and development, and for a short point guard, no matter how good he is, he can't be better than a tall center with the same talent. As for why, if nothing else, defense alone is enough to see the difference, no matter how fast you are a short point guard, can the defensive area be larger than that of a tall and arm-long center?
Therefore, in the 2005 draft, the Bucks, who held the first pick, directly ignored Chris Paul, these short men, and blindly selected Australia's "dead" center Andrew Bodogt, and the Hawks, who held the second pick, did not consider that their lineup lacked a guard, and unexpectedly chose the 2.06 meter power forward - Marvin Williams. As for the Jazz with the third pick, they chose a point guard who is a little taller and more explosive than Chris Paul - Deron Williams. And the original draft favorite, Chris Paul, who predicted to be selected with the second pick, could only be picked up by the New Orleans Hornets with the fourth pick.