LOS ANGELES — There are no shortcuts to success for all-star point guard Chris Paul.
He takes his job of being an NBA player seriously. He works tediously at every nuance of the game. He prepares physically and mentally.
He’s always looking to improve.
In essence, Paul is driven.
This is what the Los Angeles Clippers can expect out of their newest player.
“Everybody has a craft,” Paul said. “For me, this is my craft. This is what I love to do. I analyze it and I dissect it to a T. I just pay attention to everything.
“In any and everything that I do, I want to be the best.”
Many feel Paul already is one of the best players in the NBA and its best point guard.
That’s why the Clippers worked so hard to acquire the four-time all-star from the New Orleans Hornets — and finally got him for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and a first-round draft pick.
Byron Scott saw firsthand how much Paul strived to be the best, how willing the 6-foot playmaker was at putting in the extra work.
Scott, the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, coached Paul in his first three-plus seasons with the Hornets.
Scott saw something in Paul that he saw in Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, his former Lakers teammate.
“Both of them hate to lose,” Scott said. “They are ultra-competitive. That’s really the biggest thing. The kid just can’t stand losing.
“Another thing about him, which was with Magic as well, Chris just loves playing. He loves the competition. He just has an unbelievable passion for the game of basketball. He’s just fun to watch.”
Paul arrived in L.A. on Thursday morning, had a news conference later that night and then itched to practice, something he was finally cleared to do Saturday night.
Earlier Saturday, after the Clippers’ first practice, Paul was excited about playing in the team’s intrasquad scrimmage today at USC’s Galen Center.
If fans watch closely, Paul said, they’ll see more than him throwing lob passes to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
“When I play point guard, the biggest thing I try to do is just control the game and the tempo on both ends,” Paul said. “I also try to gauge the pulse of my teammates and what’s going on in the game. Me as a point guard, the biggest thing I pride myself on is taking care of the ball.”
Chauncey Billups, a former Nuggets guard, will be Paul’s backcourt running mate.
Billups has been a top-rate playmaker in his own right. He is a five-time all-star and was the MVP of the 2004 NBA Finals, when he led the Detroit Pistons to an upset of the Lakers.
“He really doesn’t have any weaknesses,” Billups said of Paul. “He knows the game as well as anybody. He has every shot in the book.”
