All-Time PG comparison: OKC Thunder star Chris Paul vs. Hall of Famer John Stockton
All-Time Point Guards
In the 14 years of Chris Paul’s illustrious career, he currently ranks seventh All-Time in player efficiency rating, 6th All-Time in steals per game, and possibly most impressive, he has the best offensive rating in the entire history of the league.
| Rank | Player | ORtg |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chris Paul |
122.62 |
| 2. | Reggie Miller* | 121.48 |
| 3. | Magic Johnson* | 120.79 |
| 4. | DeAndre Jordan |
120.57 |
| 5. | John Stockton* | 120.55 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/21/2019.
CP3 is obviously a first-ballot hall of fame lock when he chooses to leave the game he loves. I think the comparison between John Stockton and Chris Paul is warranted because either could be the poster child for the idea of a true pure point guard. Your offense would thrive regardless of which player you chose.
From my perspective, John Stockton is the third-best point guard of All-Time. (Behind Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry.) The integral responsibility of playing point guard is precisely distributing the ball to teammates for high percentage shots.
I think Chris Paul has the same rare passing ability and advanced basketball IQ, that Stockton has. With his height, offensive versatility, and passion for the game, Paul has the potential to break even more records.
When Chris Paul captured the eighth spot on the NBA All-Time assist leaders list, he stated that nobody would exceed John Stockton’s unheard of assist numbers. Considering CP3’s injury history and his own definitive scoring ability, its unlikely that Paul will be the player to top the assist record. Before his reoccurring injuries, he was on pace to be on the tail of Stockton’s assist record.
Rockets’ Chris Paul moved into 8th place on NBA all-time assist list w/ 8,972 but lamented how far he still is from his goal of unseating John Stockton (15,806) at No. 1: “I don’t like saying never, but ain’t nobody catching that. I don’t know who did the statistics in Utah.” pic.twitter.com/ElDhMtWTr7
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) February 12, 2019
Later that season Chris Paul moved into the seventh position on the All-Time assist list and its safe to say he’s far from finished climbing. It’s telling how Chris Paul remains in the conversation when there is a 6,625 assist differential between them.
| Rank | Player | AST |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | John Stockton* | 15806 |
| 2. | Jason Kidd* | 12091 |
| 3. | Steve Nash* | 10335 |
| 4. | Mark Jackson | 10334 |
| 5. | Magic Johnson* | 10141 |
| 6. | Oscar Robertson* | 9887 |
| 7. | Chris Paul |
9181 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/19/2019.
There is a sizeable difference of assists between Stockton and Paul. The numbers aren’t necessarily indicative that Chris Paul isn’t as good of a passer as John Stockton. It does, however, demonstrate the longevity, consistency, and efficacy of John Stockton’s passing mastery.
Initially, I excoriated Tony for what we believed was a hot-take, but he was telling the truth. You can’t argue with the numbers, John Stockton’s quantity of assists gives him a leg up in the passing argument.