Paul scored 23 points and 14 assists in the first game of the regular season, against the Lakers, to lead the Suns to victory over the Lakers, while also creating a milestone of his own, becoming the first player in NBA's 75-year history to score 20,000 points and 10,000 assists in the regular season at the same time. So what is Paul's historical position in the position of point guard in terms of his current achievements?
First, let's look at the honors including his career, Paul currently ranks 47th on the NBA's all-time career total score list with 20016 points; 10,324 total assists, ranking 5th in the NBA's all-time total assists list; and 2,334 total steals, ranking 5th in NBA history. Paul has averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 boards, 9.4 assists, 2.1 breaks, 0.1 caps, 2.4 turnovers, 47.2% shooting percentage, 37.1% three-point shooting and 87.3% free throw shooting. He has been named to the All-Star Team 11 times, 10 times to the All-Star Team (4 times first team, 5 times second team, 1 time three team), 10 times to the best defensive team (7 times first team, 2 times second team, 1 time three team), 4 assist kings, 6 steal king, 1 AMFP (All-Star Game MVP), 1 time best rookie.
Paul's personal career achievements so far have been brilliant enough, except for the MVP and the championship, Paul has won almost all the personal honors, but the problem is here, MVP is almost the heaviest personal honor, and the championship is the most able to reflect the value of the team, these two have no impact on Paul's historical position in the position of point guard.
Let's take a look at some of the players who can currently stabilize Paul in the position of point guard in NBA history:
The first one is certainly Magic Johnson, although the Magician has only played 13 seasons in his career, but his achievements are indeed very high, winning a total of 5 championships, 3 FMVPs, 3 MVPs, 12 times in the All-Star Team, 11 times in the Best Team (9 times in the first team, 2 times in the second team), 4 assists, 2 steals.
As you can see, the magicians are crushing Paul in terms of the number of championships, the number of FMVPs and the number of MVPs. And the magician also won the championship in his first season and was elected FMVP. So even if Paul can win the championship before retiring, it will not shake the status of the magician in the slightest.
The second place may be Stephen Curry, who has won 3 championships so far, and has 2 MVPs, 2 leading scorers, 7 all-Star teams, and 7 all-team (4 first-team, 2 second-team, 1 third-team).
Curry, as the best point guard player in the new era, his three-point ability is so good that Curry can be said to be the best three-point shooter in NBA history. Curry has a lot more MVPs and championships than Paul, even if Paul can win the championship, it is unrealistic to take the MVP in his current state, so Curry is still stable in the position of point guard.
The third is Oscar Robertson, the NBA's former triple-double king, whose career is known for being comprehensive. Robertson has won a total of 1 championship in his career, 1 MVP (the only MVP to be won during the reigns of Chamberlain and Russell), 12 all-Star teams, 3 AMBP (All-Star MVP), 11 all-team (9 first-team, 2 second-team), and 6 assists.
Oscar was the first player in NBA history to achieve a triple-double in a single season, averaging 30.8 points, 12.5 boards and 11.4 assists that season, and he also won MVP and championships. Paul may have won the championship before retiring to equal the number of Oscars, but MVP is unlikely. Oscar's career average is 25.7 points, 7.5 boards and 9.5 assists per game, and given Oscar's excellent personal data and more honors than Paul, his historical position as point guard is still higher than Paul's.
The fourth place is Jerry West, who is the NBA logo, which is enough to prove his greatness. West has also been named an All-Star 14 times in his career, an AMBP (All-Star MVP) once, a 12-time all-time team (10 first-team, 2 second-team), five-time defensive team (4 first-team, 1 second-team), 1 point-king, and 1 assist-king.
Although West has only won one championship in his career, he is the only loser in NBA history, FMVP, which is enough to make him unparalleled. In fact, the gap between West and Paul is mainly in the championship, if Paul can win the championship before retiring, then he still has the opportunity to challenge West's historical position.
The fifth is Isaiah Thomas, the most incredible little man in NBA history, who has won 2 championships in his career, 1 point FMVP, 12 All-Star, 2 AMBP (All-Star MVP), and 5 all-team (3 first-team, 2 second-team).
Although Thomas is only 1.85 meters tall, he has a tough style of play, averaging 19.2 points and 9.3 assists per game in his career, and it is precisely because of him that he has the Pistons' "bad boy army". The gap between Paul and Thomas is also mainly in the championship, if Paul can win the championship, then Paul will have a chance to surpass Thomas.
Let's take a look at some of the players who are currently on par with Paul in the point guard position in NBA history:
The first is John Stockton, who is arguably the best pure point guard player in NBA history, with 9 career assists, 2 steals, 10 All-Stars, 1 AMBP (All-Star MVP), 11 all-team (2 first-team, 6 second-team, 3 third-team), and 5-time all-defensive second-team.
Stockton is one of the best point guards in NBA history, he is also the player with the most assists and steals in NBA history, and Stockton's biggest regret is that he did not get a championship ring to complete his career. Paul and Stockton are very similar, but Paul has better scoring ability, for now, Stockton's historical ranking will still be above Paul, but if Paul can win the championship, then he can surpass Stockton.
The second is Jason Kidd, who is also one of the best point guards in NBA history, with 1 championship in his career, 10 All-Stars, 6 all-team (5 first-team, 1 second-team), 9-time defensive team (5 first-team, 4 second-team), and 5 assist kings.
Kidd is also the most comprehensive point guard in NBA history, ranking second in history for total assists, third in total steals and third in total triple-doubles. Kidd is still a little higher than Paul, because Kidd already has 1 championship, so Paul can at least be on par with Kidd if he wins the championship, or even surpass.
The third is Steve Nash, the first executor of the league's bombardment tactics, Nash has won 2 MVPs in his career, 8 All-Stars, 7 all-team (3 first-team, 2 second-team, 2 third-team), 5 assist kings, 4 "180 clubs" (2-point shooting rate 50+%; 3-point shooting rate 40+%; free throw shooting rate 90+%).
Nash's best honor is the 2 MVP, Nash shot accurately, the passing field is wide, and his and Suns' shelling tactics have once swept the league. Nash's biggest regret is also the failure to win the championship, but the 2 MVPs are currently unsurpassed by Paul. But if Paul can win the championship, then he may be able to overtake Nash.
As you can see from the above, Paul should now be able to rank among the top ten point guards in NBA history. If he can win the championship before retiring, then his position as a point guard may surpass Nash, Kidd and Stockton, because Nash's defense is obviously poor, Kidd's offense is not very good, Stockton does not have a championship, so if Paul can win the championship, then he can enter the top six positions in the NBA's historical point guard list, and even challenge Thomas and West's historical status to enter the top four positions of the NBA's historical point guard list. But it's almost impossible for him to move on, because neither the Magicians, Curry nor the Oscars have the honors that a championship can offset, so Paul can reach the top four of the NBA's all-time point guard list before retiring.
What do you think Paul's historical position in the point guard position is? What kind of historical status can Paul achieve after his retirement? Welcome to leave a message to communicate.