Chris Paul is still getting used to his new team. The All-Star guard joined the Houston Rockets during the offseason, but has only played in seven games this season, as Paul was dealing with a nasty knee injury during the team’s season opener and didn’t return to the Rockets until Nov. 16.
But now he’s back, and as a point guard in a Mike D’Antoni offense, he’s having a blast. While his scoring numbers haven’t been stellar, Paul is averaging an insane 10.3 assists in 28.1 minutes per night.
Paul spoke with Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle about his new digs, breaking down the reason why he is thriving in an offense where he knows that he’s surrounded by shooters.
“I never played with three guys around the 3-point line, just spacing the court,” Paul said. “I know I can shoot it. I know I can score and stuff like that. I don’t have to. I’ve just always been a guy that takes what the defense gives me. If you’re off me, I’m a shooter. If there’s two guys on me, I’m going to find the open guy.
“I’m going to find you. I always say, ‘there ain’t but so many things you can do on a court.’ I’m going to find you.”
Additionally, Paul made it a point to stress that he’s having fun because he’s the type of guard “who loves finding guys open shots.”
The crazy thing is that it’s conceivable that Paul can start putting up better numbers as he develops chemistry with his teammates and starts playing more. The thought of Chris Paul playing in an offense like this has always been a dream for basketball fans, and even though it took more than a decade to play for a team that let him play like this, he’s showing that it was worth the wait.
(Via Houston Chronicle)
