Is Lian Po really old? Paul s performance in his first show back with the Clippers was a complete mess?

In the previous NBA regular season, the Utah Jazz, playing at home, surprisingly easily defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 129-108. After this game, the Jazz got a good start to the new season, but the poor state and competitiveness shown by the Clippers in this game is really worrying.

In this game, the performance of Clippers backup point guard Chris Paul was obviously unsatisfactory. Paul played 14 minutes and 58 seconds, shooting 1 of 5, 1 of 4 from beyond the three-point line, and 1 of 1 free throw. He only scored 4 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, and 1 steal. He also had 1 turnover and 2 fouls, with a plus-minus of -6. Paul did not show any bright spots on both offense and defense. His offensive efficiency was poor, his performance in outside shooting was not ideal, he had no scoring ability at all, and his performance in passing and organization was also unsatisfactory. As a 39-year-old veteran, his athletic ability has seriously declined, and his concentration on the defensive end has also dropped significantly. It is indeed difficult for him to provide more help to the team on the defensive end. Neither the offense nor defense played a role. Paul's performance obviously fell short of everyone's expectations for him.

In the NBA regular season last season, Paul played all 82 games on behalf of the San Antonio Spurs as the starting point guard, averaging 28 minutes per game. According to statistics, he had 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks, 1.6 turnovers and 1.8 fouls, shooting 42.7% from the field, 37.7% from the three-point range, and 92.4% from the free throw line. In the previous NBA preseason, Paul played a total of 3 times, averaging 18.9 minutes per game, averaging 8.3 points, 3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. He also had 1.3 turnovers and 2 fouls. He shot 47.1% from the field, 50% from the three-point range, and 100% from the free throw line.

This summer, Paul became a free agent, and eventually he returned to the Clippers on a veteran's minimum salary contract. Paul's performance during the previous preseason was quite satisfactory. He showed a certain scoring ability. He was also able to achieve good results in passing and organization. Considering that the Clippers were indeed short-handed at the backup point guard position last season, everyone is also looking forward to Paul's performance and hopes that he can play a key role in the team. As a result, in the first game of the new regular season, Paul's performance immediately poured cold water on everyone. It seemed that he was really old and incapable of taking on more tasks on the court. I don’t know if Paul can adjust his condition in time and perform to his due level in the next game.