DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors are facing off on Wednesday. Two of the best points guards of in NBA history will be on the floor, with one standing near the Mavs bench and the other running point for Golden State. Before the game, Jason Kidd, Dallas’ head coach, was asked about Chris Paul—starting again in place of an injured Stephen Curry—potentially passing him in all-time assists before he retires.
“There’s no better person to pass it,” Kidd said of Paul potentially passing him for second all-time in career assists. “He’s had an incredible, Hall-of-Fame career… When you talk about the point guard position, he’s the blueprint of success. He’s going to go down as one of the best to run a team. I think a lot of younger players look up to him. He’s a competitive guy, he has a big heart, loves the competition. He’s not afraid. No better person to pass me in assists.”
Paul is currently third in all-time assists. However, he entered Wednesday’s game with 11,786. Kidd, meanwhile, recorded 12,091 during his legendary career.
The Mavs head coach also shared an assessment of why Paul remains such a valuable player in his age-38 season.
“His basketball IQ. He’s seen everything,” Kidd said. “He keeps his body in a position to be successful, he continues to work, continues to talk. You can see his love and passion for the game that’s a big thing. When you are in the league this long, just the love of basketball… He loves to win. His teams do that at a high rate.”
Will Chris Paul be last traditional point guard?
Chris Paul is one of the best point guards to ever step foot on a basketball court. But with players such as Curry changing not just the game, but the point guard position, is it possible that Paul will be the last traditional point guard?
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr answered the question prior to Wednesday’s Warriors-Mavericks game.
“There just aren’t many guys like him anymore,” Kerr said. “I think Steph has influenced a lot of the young point guards in the league now. So shooting the three is a much bigger deal for the modern point guard compared to guys like Chris. He is a little bit of a dying breed. You hope that we’re still going to be able to produce some pass-first point guards because I think they just add so much to the game. But yeah, Chris has been at the top of his craft for a long time.”
In similar fashion to Jason Kidd, Kerr had nothing but positive things to say about Paul’s game before the contest on Wednesday.
“Chris is an organizer,” Kerr said. “He’s a clutch player, he thrives in pressure situations. You get into a close game down the stretch, you know you’re going to get a good shot every time with Chris. He’s just a master of the pick-and-roll, been really great for us to pair him with Trayce because of the lob threat… Yeah, it’s nice to have Chris on our side instead of having to go against him.”
Mavericks-Warriors clash
Wednesday’s affair is an important one. Dallas enters the game sitting in eighth place in the Western Conference, while Golden State is 10th. It’s going to be a back-and-forth game that could end up coming down to the wire.
Jason Kidd will try to lead his team to a big victory over Chris Paul and the shorthanded Warriors.
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