Portland Trail Blazers: Who should Anfernee Simons be studying in quarantine?
By Ryan Gaskin
At the rim and all-around efficiency: Chris Paul
The fact I can take Chris Paul’s year 15 stats and use them to discuss the best efficiency and rim-shooting in the league proves just how good he is.
At 35 years of age, CP3 is still showing the rest of the point guards how to do it, leading an average-looking OKC team to the #5 seed in the West. Paul is averaging 17.7 points, 4.9 boards and 6.8 assists, and is proving a lot of people wrong.
In particular, Paul’s efficiency and rim-finishing have been elite. At the rim, he is shooting 86 percent, and is third in true shooting percentage at .609, behind George Hill and Damian Lillard. CP3 is also shooting over 50 percent from 3-10 feet and 10-16 feet; in simple terms, he’s been putting on a nightly clinic efficiency wise.
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1256267138253258753?s=20
Paul also seems to be in control, knows when to pull the jumper or drive to the rim. Simons, who is shooting just 56 percent at the rim, can learn a lot from Paul’s wits on the court. His shooting is strong, but defenders will push up on him if they know he struggles around the basket. Paul is the one for Simons to study here.