All-Time PG comparison: OKC Thunder star Chris Paul vs. Hall of Famer John Stockton
One on One
Although this debate temporarily split the Crew in half, Will and Tony maintain that John Stockton is the better player. Based on the stats I have no ground to disagree. There is no comparison in efficiency numbers when it comes to shooting percentages. Before you start declaring John Stockton the clear cut winner, a closer look at the advanced stats show things from an unseen perspective.
| Rk | Player | G | PER | TS% | AST% | STL% | BLK% | TOV% | USG% | WS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Paul | 950 | 25.3 | .580 | 46.4 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 13.2 | 24.0 | 171.5 | |
| 2 | John Stockton* | 1504 | 21.8 | .608 | 50.2 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 20.8 | 18.9 | 207.7 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/21/2019.
Looking at the player efficiency rating, turnover percentage, and usage rate, tells a story that you wouldn’t know if you simply looked at what a side by side stat comparison.
I stand by saying that prime Chris Paul would put prime John Stockton in a mixtape highlight if they played one on one to 21. That’s not a slight at John Stockton’s greatness, just credit CP3. I see the two exchanging buckets back and forth until Chris Paul activates his takeover mode and puts John Stockton away with a barrage of dribble moves ending in easy mid-range jumpers.
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John Stockton is arguably the best point guard of all time. I truly don’t believe Chris Paul’s story is close to being over yet, and he’s not far behind. As the season quickly approaches, I think Chris Paul is going to put up more numbers to further solidify his case for one of the greatest point guards of all time.
When the ink in the history books is dry, and we can look at Chris Paul’s career with a more objective pair of lenses. In the midst of an NBA great’s career, it’s difficult to measure their significance to the game as a whole I think we will admire how he evolved the way the point guard position was played.
We had never seen a point guard balance scoring and deferring so perfectly while still controlling the pace of the game. John Stockton is undoubtedly one of the greatest point guards of All-Time, and Chris Paul deserves to be in the conversation as well.
Next. Dissecting The Jump panel debate: Chris Paul’s Thunder tenure and trade value. dark
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