OKC Thunder: Chris Paul still Thunder Nation’s MVP

OKC Thunder guard Chris Paul may not be a finalist for the Most Valuable Player Award, but he’s still our MVP.

Chris Paul is many things. A basketball savant, a leader, a star, and the heart and soul of the OKC Thunder.

Witnessing CP3 brush past defenders, trick opponents with his finesse, and crazy handles never get old.

Seeing the smile and curiosity on his young teammates’ faces when he’s talking with them as all eyes are locked on the savvy vet in the huddle as he speaks words of wisdom – it never gets old.

The same can be said for Chris Paul himself. The Minnesota Timberwolves’ D’Angelo Russell has said it. And it’s been said many times throughout this season.

This season has revealed Chris Paul as a legitimate MVP candidate.

However, as the NBA recently announced the finalists for the 2019-20 top honors, Paul was not one of the three nominees for MVP. LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and James Harden were selected as the top three.

Though the OKC Thunder is represented as TI’s Tamberlyn Richardson discusses Thunder guard Dennis Schroder is nominated for the Sixth man of the Year and Head Coach Billy Donovan is nominated for Coach of the Year.

While Schroder and Donovan are recognized for their incredible seasons’, you can’t help but believe that Paul should be there with them.

This is not to downplay the achievements of James, Antetokounmpo, and Harden who have all had a marvellous season’s in their own right.

But it is to say that Paul has done things that no one has seen before and has had a major influence on a team who received a 0.2 percent chance from ESPN of making the playoffs prior to the season.

OKC Thunder’s Chris Paul, doing MVP things this year

One thing that stands out with CP3 is that unlike this year’s candidates, he has helped a team achieve success in his first year with them.

I don’t think you can look at the candidates or anyone in the league and say that this season they played many roles.

Chris Paul has been not only the captain but also a mentor, a closer, an All-Star and not to mention everything that he has done off the court in these unprecedented times.

And it isn’t just Thunder fans that have noticed, players, coaches, and fans from across the Association see it too.

NBA and NCAA prospect specialist Rashad Phillips shared his opinion on why Paul is deserving of MVP.

One key thing I took away from it was the mention of impact. And similar to Phillips, for me, valuable means having an impact. You’d be hard-pressed to find another player that has had more of an impact on his team than Chris Paul.

Per Basketball Reference, Chris Paul is averaging 17.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. As well as 1.6 steals. His 3-point percentage of 37.2 percent is better than James (34.5), Antetokounmpo (30.4), and Harden (35.1).

His field goal percentage of 49.3 percent is also just shy of LeBron’s 49.5. It is important to note that Paul is shooting at the best rate he has since he was 25 years old in the 2009-10 season.

While dishing it out on the court, Paul’s usage rate is also low compared to the MVP finalists. He uses 24.4 possessions per 40 minutes of play. It shows that he doesn’t always need the ball in his hands to have an influence. (Stats provided by ESPN)

As it’s been made known that Paul is also a clutch King stepping up in big moments down the stretch and winning games for the OKC Thunder in stellar fashion. He’s the most clutch player in the league and if that’s not valuable than I don’t know what is.

Furthermore, despite Paul not having huge stats like his counterparts, his game illustrates that it’s not all about the numbers. On the court, he leads by example using his amazing knowledge of the game to predict what players’ are going to do and disrupts their game plan. He’s always there in the timeout to help his teammates and is everything the Thunder have needed.

Free-agent, Isaiah Thomas was watching when the OKC Thunder took on the Wizards on Sunday and he could tell how much fun they were having as he watched CP3 lead.

Even if Paul wasn’t chosen as the MVP of the season, I believe he should still be in the conversation.

You get the sense that Paul will push aside any mention of an individual accolade. That’s just who he is. But we definitely won’t forget that Chris Paul is the man in the arena. He’s that boost of positive energy coming onto the floor. A trailblazer in his 15th year in the NBA. What LeBron is to the Lakers, CP3 is to the Thunder.

And though he may not be a finalist this year, he is still our MVP.