By Jordan Long
The Phoenix Suns have been one of the most surprising teams in the NBA this year. They stand at 42-18, tied with the Clippers for 2nd in the Western Conference, but they are ahead in the standings because of a better winning percentage. This begs the question, should Suns’ point guard Chris Paul be in the running for the regular season MVP?
The Suns finished last year at 34-19 in a COVID shortened year. When the NBA went to the bubble, the Suns were 8-0 but missed the playoffs. At the start of the season, they traded for Chris Paul on November 16th, 2020. The Suns sent small forward Kelly Oubre Jr., point guards Ricky Rubio and Jalen Lecque, shooting guard Ty Jerome, and a 2022 first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for point guard Chris Paul as well as small forward Abdel Nader.
The centerpiece of the swap for the Suns was All-Star Chris Paul. The Suns hoped Paul would not only take pressure off of Devon Booker to be the only one to score points, but set up the offense. The Suns last point guard like Chris Paul was Steve Nash. Nash played for the franchise from 1996 to 1998 and again from 2004 to 2012. The Suns expected to end their playoff drought with the acquisition. The Suns last made the postseason in 2010. That playoff run ended in the Western Conference Finals where the L.A. Lakers knocked them off in 6 games.
This year they are going to earn a playoff spot. The reason is the play of Paul. He has elevated not only his game, but his teammates as well. With him in the lineup, it takes the pressure off of Booker. When teams double Paul, Booker is wide open for a shot. If Booker is covered, Paul feeds it to another teammate who can score. Paul is also the leader on the court and sets up the play. Those end up in ball movement which equal easy looks at the basket. Paul has made the Suns a title contender this season.
Paul should receive some consideration for the MVP because of his play. According to MSN.com, Paul said, “I think at the end of the day, I know who I am and I know what I bring to a team, but I also understand with our team, it’s about us. It’s about what we’re doing, we’re building. It’s not something I worry about or wake up and think about or anything like that. It’s just about the process like getting ready for tomorrow’s game. I think everything else will take care of itself.”
Paul’s numbers aren’t bad this year. Paul has played in 59 games. In those appearances, He is averaging 16 points and 8.7 assists per game.
The problem with Paul being in the MVP discussion is Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic who are ahead of him in the MVP race are putting up better numbers. Embiid has played less games than Paul at 41. In those contests, Embiid is scoring 30 points per game. He is averaging 11.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
The favorite to win the MVP right now is Denver Nuggets’ center Nikola Jokic. Jokic has appeared in all 60 games for Denver. He puts up 26.2 points and grabs 10.9 rebounds per game. For a center Jokic is a great passer and dishes to his teammates for baskets, averaging 8.7 assists per game. Unless something drastic happens to him or the Nuggets, he most likely will take home the MVP over Paul.
The MVP is a great award, but Paul could care less about it. It is an individual award for an athletes’ play in the regular season. He wants to help the Suns win an NBA title. He hasn’t won a ring which is the only thing missing in his Hall of Fame resume. Paul would love nothing better than to take the Suns to a deep run in the postseason, ending in an NBA Championship. The Suns have never won the title. The last time they went to the NBA Finals was in 1993. They were knocked off by the Chicago Bulls in 6 games. Maybe this is the year they break that.
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