Report Card (Extra Credit): Chris Paul’s 2020 Grade

When the season shut down in March, we turned in our 2019-20 season report card knowing that basketball as we knew it was concluding for a long while. That’s how the NBA handled their 2019-20 awards as well–only counting the games played before the pandemic suspension in awards voting. But basketball did come back, and the Thunder’s players earned bonus points over the final stretch.

Previous Grade: A+

New Grade: A+

Whenever the Thunder needed a basket this season, it was no secret whose hands the ball would be in. As Chris Paul once said: “When it gets to clutch time, fourth quarter, some people are built for it, some people shy away from it.” Despite the Game 7 loss, there’s no questioning that Paul is, in fact, built for it.

Paul led the Thunder in scoring this postseason, increasing his output by almost four points per game without compromising his patented efficiency. He became the oldest player in NBA history to record a Game 7 triple-double, but the Point God’s impact has always extended far past counting statistics. Paul exudes confidence, and his win-at-all-costs mindset was embodied by the entire team all season long.

While it seems likely that Game 7 will be Paul’s last as a member of the Thunder, his impact on not only OKC’s young players but the entire franchise will be felt for years to come.