OKC Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander’s strong All-Star case faces uphill battle
Two Phoenix guards vie for one spot
Chris Paul:
| Season | Tm | G | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | HOU | 58 | 32.0 | 12.4 | .419 | 6.1 | .358 | 6.3 | .479 | .508 | 3.5 | .862 | 4.6 | 8.2 | 2.0 | 15.6 |
| 2019-20 | OKC | 70 | 31.5 | 12.7 | .489 | 4.3 | .365 | 8.3 | .554 | .552 | 4.0 | .907 | 5.0 | 6.7 | 1.6 | 17.6 |
| 2020-21 | PHO | 27 | 32.3 | 13.3 | .490 | 4.0 | .380 | 9.3 | .538 | .547 | 2.6 | .972 | 4.7 | 8.6 | 1.3 | 17.1 |
| Career | 1047 | 34.8 | 13.7 | .471 | 3.7 | .370 | 10.1 | .508 | .520 | 4.7 | .872 | 4.5 | 9.4 | 2.2 | 18.4 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/20/2021.
While CP3 is scoring slightly less he’s dishing more assists and in his case is unique in terms of how much he affects winning.
Paul will garner plenty of attention beyond championing the event because of how hard he worked last year to help make the Orlando bubble a reality.
There isn’t much of a debate on why he’s another player likely to make the reserve team and if that’s a given then suddenly only one spot would be available from the following five…
Devin Booker:
| Season | G | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 64 | 35.0 | 19.6 | .467 | 6.5 | .326 | 13.1 | .536 | .521 | 7.1 | .866 | 4.1 | 6.8 | 0.9 | 26.6 |
| 2019-20 | 70 | 35.9 | 18.3 | .489 | 5.7 | .354 | 12.6 | .549 | .544 | 7.3 | .919 | 4.2 | 6.5 | 0.7 | 26.6 |
| 2020-21 | 24 | 35.0 | 18.2 | .492 | 5.8 | .355 | 12.5 | .555 | .548 | 5.3 | .833 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 0.9 | 24.3 |
| Career | 366 | 33.6 | 17.3 | .451 | 5.5 | .354 | 11.7 | .497 | .508 | 5.8 | .869 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 0.8 | 22.6 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/20/2021.
From a purely statistical standpoint, Booker’s numbers are down slightly this year. That’s partly because there is more talent on the Suns this season and he’s not being asked to do everything. For example, with Paul on the team now Booker isn’t tasked with creating as much for his teammates which explains why his assists are down.
Presumably, Monty Williams has also tasked others with roles that may explain why his rebounds are lower this season but given his free throw attempts and efficiency are also down it doesn’t help his cause over his own teammate Chris Paul.