Chris Paul tells Draymond Green the NBA has changed since his Lob City Clippers days. Teams now assign 6'7" to 6'9" wings like Jaden McDaniels to guard point guards, forcing guards to rely on quickness and off-ball screens instead of size. Paul says the workload and leadership he carried were just how the game was played then.
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In looking back on your career, you suffered injuries in some of the darndest times. Yeah. Times where you on your way to an NBA championship. Do you think in looking back over your career, the load that you had to carry and getting everybody involved, the leadership, all the things, do you think that sometimes overballed you down in the long run?
Man, that's a good question. Honestly, I don't. You know what I mean? I think just, it was some crazy injuries and whatnot. And I don't think that the load was too high as far as, you know, that was just how we played. I think the thing that was always different and actually played a role in why I ended up leaving the Clippers was, yeah, the ball was in my hands a lot, but all them years I was, making plays and all this stuff. And I defended.
At a fucking high level.
You know what I mean? And so that was, but at that age, I didn't even think twice about it. Right? Like I always talk about when I came into the league, it was just different. It was, who we playing tonight? Okay, I got Steve Nash. Okay, I got Steph. All right, I got Russ. You know what I'm saying? I got Gilbert Arenas, whoever it is.
D. Williams.
D. Will. Yeah. And it's just, I didn't know anything else. You know what I mean? And that was also a way of competing, right? Like I think a lot of times, especially young kids now, just think competing is how many points and assists I drop on him. You know what I mean? But for me, it was also the defensive aspect to it. So yeah, it was tough or whatnot. And I know they always say a small guy can't lead a— Mm-hmm. Got to a championship, team to a championship. And that's also what almost made me mad about, you know, losing at them times. 'Cause I ain't never been one that go with what everybody say.
Yeah.
You know, but it's definitely tough and the game has changed a lot, but that's, you know, Luka and Bron and them, they special. 'Cause even though they have those big number games, they play the game the right way.
Yes.
You know what I mean? They hit a guy when they open, you know, and that's big.
Absolutely. Speaking of playing defense, told Trav one day, I said, man, I remember the first time we put Klay on CP. And I remember him walking past the bench and saying, goddamn, y'all gonna put somebody 6'7" on me now? That's what we doing now? I remember the first time you walked to the bench and said that. But the NBA started changing with that. Like everybody started doing that. All of a sudden you looking up now, you got 6'7" guy on, you got 6'9" guy on. You look at like Jaden, like J, I get their names confused. I think it's Jaden McDaniels in Minnesota.
The one in Minnesota, yeah.
Dude legit 6'9". No question.
No question. Every time.
And he keep up, he lay, he got laid. Like the league started changing with that. What type of adjustment did you feel you had to make? 'Cause you still start getting to your middie, like you still getting to your same things. You still getting right whenever you wanted to get right. But what challenges did that present when the league started doing that?
It really wasn't that big of a change for me because I done played out of the ball screen my whole career. And what those guys had in height, I had over them in quickness.
Yep.
You know what I mean? I think some of the guys that, and it's crazy to play this long 'cause it's guys that I appreciated like guarding me, right? Like Tony Allen. I remember when Tony Allen retired or we played them in a playoff series or something, I texted T.A. like after the game or something, just like, I appreciate the competition.
Absolutely.
You know? And so it's crazy, man. I used to be on that type time all the time where it was, I'm about to play against like another primetime guard. And I walk out onto the court and the other team put like a wing on me or something like that. I used to say that, I used to say it to the coach. I used to be like, oh, that's what y'all on? Y'all got a point guard coming into the league and you don't wanna throw him to the fire, huh? Like I was just on that type of energy.
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You know, and I, is what it is, but I mean, I just felt like people was ducking.
Yeah.
You know what I mean? And I know, like you said, like the league was changing 'cause they trying to figure out, you know, ways to slow you down or whatnot, but, Regardless, my coaches would tell you at that time, you know, if you wrote up on the board or something like that, that Matt Barnes is gonna guard such and such, I would stop the meeting. No, no, no, no, no, coach. Nope, nope. I got, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. And that's just how I was brought up in the league. Now though, yeah, JK, one of y'all can run around. JK, you got him. Wiggs, you got him. You got him, you go ahead and run around with him, whatever. Back then it was just them coaches know they was trifling too. You supposed to, they a rook. Throw them out here, teach them how to play defense. That's where the league was different back in the day. Dude hand you 35, 40 or whatnot. Who cares? You'll be better the next time.
That was them welcome to the NBA moments everybody always talk about. They was different then. You look at guys' welcome to the NBA moment now, you like, Man, what? Our welcome to the NBA moment was like, yo, bro gave me 50. Like I remember KD giving me 51. Like I remember that.
Yeah, but that just breeds some competitiveness in you. Like some type of competition in you. You know what I mean?
