CP3, Suns Rise Together Atop the West

Seven games into the 2020-2021 National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season, the Phoenix Suns are in a three-way tie for the best record in the NBA as they have an identical 5-2 record with both Los Angeles teams. 

Coming off a bittersweet campaign inside the NBA bubble in Orlando where they went unbeaten in all of their seeding games only to miss the playoffs, the Suns are expected to be a contender for one of the eight playoff berths in the West and so far, Phoenix is staying afloat with the best in the West and one of the reasons why the Suns are rising to the challenge is their 35-year old point guard, Chris Paul.

Now in his 16th season in the league, Chris Paul's numbers have dropped to just 13 points per game in seven games thus far- his lowest scoring average since his final season in New Orleans when he averaged 15 points in 80 regular-season games. But, the Suns didn't trade for Chris Paul to have a scoring point guard. Phoenix traded for Chris Paul during the 2020 offseason because he is one of the few remaining "true" point guards we have in the NBA. A point guard who can find his teammates at the right place and at the right time. A point guard who has the ability to attract the defense with his court generalship.

To some, Chris Paul is a point "god".    

Averaging eight assists per game in his first seven games with Phoenix, he ranks fifth among all players in that department. In three of the four wins that they have in that four-game winning streak, Chris Paul eight assists or more highlighted by a 12-assist game against the Sacramento Kings. During that span, he is only averaging nine points per game and yet, the Suns were winning. He doesn't have to score 20 points or more. Devin Booker can do that in a snap of a finger. Aside from Booker and Paul, the Suns have six players who are averaging 10 points per game or more. This team is loaded with scorers in every position. All that is needed is someone to set the table for everyone else. That's what Chris Paul does best. 

While his scoring may have dropped, his ability to dish the rock to teammates remains one of the best. So is the stability he brings at the point guard position. It's one of the reasons why the Suns are rising up and will continue to rise as the season progresses. 

Photo is from CBS Sports