A lot of people were ragging on Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns following last season.
That is because the Suns absolutely, undeniably fell apart during the Western Conference semifinals and were surprisingly wiped out by the Dallas Mavericks.
Since Paul is seen as the leader of his team, their failure was considered his failure.
While there were many think pieces and tweets decrying Paul’s talents, it’s important to remember that he is still a very valued player.
Most All-Defensive selections by an active player:
9 — CP3
7 — Draymond, Kawhi
6 — Gobert, LeBron pic.twitter.com/ODH64r72Im— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 22, 2022
In fact, he has the most All-Defensive selections by an active NBA player, with 9.
Behind Paul, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors and Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers have 7, while Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers have 6.
Paul is leading the way, proving that he’s an all-around impressive and important athlete – but can he guide his team to victory?
Still The Point God?
Paul gets a lot of attention, both positive and negative, and it’s always been that way.
The man has been a stellar superstar in the league ever since he joined it back in 2005.
Lately, the number of critical eyes focused on him has only grown as his Suns have been superior in the West yet keep coming up short in the playoffs and Finals.
Some people say that Paul is proving he doesn’t have what it takes to lead a team and that his legacy is being tarnished.
It is true that Paul will only have a few more chances to win the Finals because he is 37 years old and his retirement is approaching.
Until then, he will keep earning All-Defensive selections, praise, and criticism.
NEXT: The NBA Wants The Suns In The Spotlight Once Again