Speaking on ‘First Take’ this week, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins blasted Chris Paul for his recent play, calling him out for his decline as one of the game’s top players.
“Have you seen CP3 lately?” Perkins asked Stephen A. Smith. “I just saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drop a 40-piece on him, and then I saw Austin Reaves go for 25 and 11. He’s borderline a senior citizen. He’s about to enter the next chapter of his life. He’s declining right now. I don’t have that faith in him.”
P3C!r#$ pic.twitter.com/XWWoa7787W
— CyrusTheVirus (@CyrusTheVirusP) March 24, 2023
It’s an undoubtedly harsh take from Perkins, but he’s not entirely wrong. Over the past few years, despite his physical decline, CP3 was still an effective floor general and capable shooter.
This season, however, Paul hasn’t operated with the same efficiency. In 51 games so far, the star point guard is averaging 13.6 points, 9.1 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game on just 43% shooting.
Even still, with Kevin Durant now on the Suns, Chris Paul is facing more pressure than ever to perform and finally deliver on a championship for the first time in his career.
Is Chris Paul Under The Most Pressure To Win?
No. 3 isn’t the best player on the Suns, but the team will need him to contribute if they have any chance to win. The question is, how much left does he have in the tank to give?
“Even though you [Chris Paul] were in the Finals a year before, you’ve never had a better chance than now,” said Stephen A. Smith. “You have Kevin Durant. Easy money sniper, this brother can score 50 every night and average 30 points in his sleep. One of the greatest offensive players in basketball is now your teammate. His sidekick is Devin Booker and I forgot to mention the 7-footer Deandre Ayton. The bottom line is that the Phoenix Suns have the tools and are arguably the favorites to come out of the West. If Chris Paul is healthy with these weapons available to him, there is no excuse for the Phoenix Suns to not be in the Finals.”
Of course, the situation has become complicated for the Suns, who will not have Durant back until the final few games of the regular season.
Now is the time for Paul to step up, and the world will be watching to see how he responds.
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