One of the greatest point guards in NBA history is Chris Paul.
Paul has been on that elite level since he entered the league back in 2005.
We are now in 2021 and he is still on that level with the Phoenix Suns, but in a different way.
Paul isn’t as fast as he once was.
His brain is at a whole other level.
He tends to be several steps ahead of his opponents.
However, some might think he is overrated in the overall context in the history of the NBA.
There have been times where Paul has not looked like the best version of himself.
Those times have soured people on the point guard.
Some may think he is overrated and not on the tier that some have stated he is on.
However, that is a false statement.
Paul is one of the greatest players ever, let alone point guards.
He is nowhere near overrated and this is why.
3. Accolades
The list of accomplishments for Paul make him an all-time great for a point guard.
He has been an 11-time All-Star and a 10-time All-NBA member.
Furthermore, he has led the league in steals six times and assists four times.
In terms of where he falls in the league’s tiers of great players, Paul has been at the top tiers for his entire career.
The accolades show that.
An overrated player cannot even fathom what he has done for the last decade-plus.
2. The Playoffs
Paul and the playoffs have a weird relationship.
We have seen several meltdowns from Paul in the playoffs over the course of his career.
His time at each team have had playoff failures.
The biggest ones are with the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets.
He had his opportunities to get to the Conference Finals and NBA Finals.
Paul is a very unfortunate player in regards to the playoffs.
However, he is still a great playoff player.
Two statements can be right at the same time.
He has his failures, but he has still been great throughout his career.
Paul has historical numbers in the postseason over this time.
Chris Paul scored 32 last night, after scoring 41 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals
It's the first time since 2008 that he scored 30+ in back-to-back playoff games pic.twitter.com/Hrl8jGdCe1
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) July 7, 2021
Now he has finally made the Finals after all these years, but this is not the first time he has expressed his greatness in the playoffs.
1. He Is Better Than Some Of The Greats
Paul should be on the top-tier list of NBA point guards of all-time.
However, people tend to push him down a few spots because of his accolades not matching other greats.
Steve Nash has two MVPs.
Jason Kidd has a ring.
The same is true for Gary Payton.
The person that we compare Paul to the most is Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas.
Thomas has two rings compared to Paul’s zero.
However, Paul is now in the Finals and that should be the turning point on this argument.
He has a historical career thus far, but some are afraid to put him higher due to his losses.
Congrats to @CP3 of the @Suns for moving up to 9th on the #NBAPlayoffs ASSISTS list! #ThatsGame pic.twitter.com/yeMRuRmAxj
— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2021
That is not fair.
His hamstring should not play a factor into his career rankings.
The numbers say he is a top-five point guard, but due to unfortunate circumstances, he is not.
For Paul to be labeled as overrated is very unfair and unrealistic.
NEXT: 1 Suns Player Who Must Step Up Against Bucks In Game 2