Chasing a Ghost: Outlining Chris Paul’s illustrious, yet empty, NBA career

As a member of the 2005 NBA draft class, Chris Paul was selected fourth overall by the New Orleans Hornets.

Looking back at the draft class and order of selections, it’s always fascinating to see how differently things could have gone, as well as how they have gone. The men drafted ahead of Chris Paul were Andrew Bogut, Marvin Williams, and Deron Williams, in that order. While all of them have enjoyed varying levels of success, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Chris Paul was the best player to come out of the draft, and arguably one of the greatest guards to ever grace the NBA. Not bad for an undersized guard.

Looking back it seems poetic that Paul was drafted by the Hornets, as there was quite a “buzz” around him. His pre-draft scouting report described him as “dynamic,” “explosive,” and “electric.” The report had also noted that barring anything “drastic,” Paul was expected to be a top 3 pick.

In his first season, CP3 showed exactly why he was so highly touted. In his rookie season, Chris Paul averaged 16 points, nearly eight assists, and five rebounds a game. He also averaged two steals a game, showing off his talented hands on both ends of the floor. Whether he was giving the ball or taking it away, Paul made an immediate impact on the floor. Unsurprisingly he was named Rookie of the Year, falling one vote shy of being the unanimous winner. The one vote that didn’t go to him went to one-time rival Deron Williams.

The following season would see Paul make improvements across the stat sheet. His points per game went up by one more per game, while his assists went up to almost nine a game. The biggest jump was in his three-point percentage, which went from 28 percent to 35 percent. By the time he entered his third year in the league, Chris Paul was averaging a double-double with points and assists. He’d be selected to his first all-star game, soaking up all the adulation from the New Orleans faithful who were ecstatic to see their hometown hero put on a show.

The good times would continue to roll even after festivities in New Orleans would wrap up, as Chris Paul and the Hornets would enter the playoffs as the second seed in the Western Conference. In his first taste of playoff basketball, Chris Paul would lead his team to a first-round victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Though they would be eliminated in the Conference Semi-finals by the San Antonio Spurs, the future for the franchise remained bright. The MVP runner-up would sign an extension, guaranteeing that Chris Paul would remain in New Orleans for many more years.

The 2008-09 regular and post-seasons would both turn out to be disappointments for New Orleans. Their season record would not be as good as it was the previous year, with the Hornets entering the playoffs as the seventh seed and being eliminated in the first round.

The following season would see the franchise continue to trend downward. In the midst of a slow start, the Hornets would let go of their head coach Byron Scott. This move would cause friction to begin to develop between Chris Paul, who felt that he should have been consulted over the decision, and the Hornets’ front office.

Things would go from bad to worse, as Paul would be sidelined with an injury. Without their star floor general to lead them, it’s not surprising that the Hornets would flounder, ultimately missing the playoffs. This injury would be the first of many that would come to plague Chris Paul, especially in regard to leg injuries. And while he would eventually heal, the injury to his knee was the beginning of those that would come to haunt the star point guard throughout the duration of his career, as would the allure of the ultimate prize in the NBA: The chalice of Larry ‘O Brien.