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Originally posted by BGRTHNUMEGO
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Who is the 2nd best player in the NBA right now? Coming in to the year, I think Kevin Durant would've been the vote 100 times out of 100. But is it really that clear?
Paul George is averaging 26 ppg, making 44% of his 7 3pt attempts, grabbing 8 rpg, and though I've only watched one Indiana game and can't verify for how he's playing on defense this year we can accurately say he proved to be an elite wing defender last year and put forth far more effort on that end than Durant did. I doubt George shoots 44% from 3 all year, but if he can score 25+, shoot well, be an elite rebounder for a SF, and continue to play stellar defense, we might fairly start talking about him as a top 5 player and as good of a fit as the 2nd best to LeBron as anyone else. That would be crazy to see a guy make that kind of leap from where he was as a rookie.
And though I've long thought his defense was drastically overrated, Chris Paul is just downright absurd in the incredibly small sample size we have so far. The ESPN piece about Paul being able to look for his shot more while still being a facilitator was a great read. He is so good with the ball and makes the right decision almost all of the time. And I still can't believe how strong he is when he gets in the lane and doesn't get thrown off his path or commit silly turnovers. But with how valuable the PG would be to how that team is built, if Paul puts up a year of 22/12/3 with high shooting numbers and limited turnovers, how high would he be on player rank?
And about that LeBron guy...I posted earlier wondering what might happen with James this season, coming off a historic shooting year, 2nd title, 3rd finals appearance...surely there was going to be a drop off. But he also sat out for a month after the season, getting rest that he said he hadn't had in years. So far his shooting is at 58/50/80.
Paul George is averaging 26 ppg, making 44% of his 7 3pt attempts, grabbing 8 rpg, and though I've only watched one Indiana game and can't verify for how he's playing on defense this year we can accurately say he proved to be an elite wing defender last year and put forth far more effort on that end than Durant did. I doubt George shoots 44% from 3 all year, but if he can score 25+, shoot well, be an elite rebounder for a SF, and continue to play stellar defense, we might fairly start talking about him as a top 5 player and as good of a fit as the 2nd best to LeBron as anyone else. That would be crazy to see a guy make that kind of leap from where he was as a rookie.
And though I've long thought his defense was drastically overrated, Chris Paul is just downright absurd in the incredibly small sample size we have so far. The ESPN piece about Paul being able to look for his shot more while still being a facilitator was a great read. He is so good with the ball and makes the right decision almost all of the time. And I still can't believe how strong he is when he gets in the lane and doesn't get thrown off his path or commit silly turnovers. But with how valuable the PG would be to how that team is built, if Paul puts up a year of 22/12/3 with high shooting numbers and limited turnovers, how high would he be on player rank?
And about that LeBron guy...I posted earlier wondering what might happen with James this season, coming off a historic shooting year, 2nd title, 3rd finals appearance...surely there was going to be a drop off. But he also sat out for a month after the season, getting rest that he said he hadn't had in years. So far his shooting is at 58/50/80.
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