| Who’s Better? – Chris Paul vs. Tony Parker Authored by Leigh Ellis - May 28, 2008 - 6:22 pm
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Parker was selected 28th overall in the 2001 draft. A professional basketball player in France, he was not a product from of the collegiate system. Parker has since attended the prestigious Gregg Popovich School of Basketball. After a nervous start to his NBA career, Parker has developed into a model student and he continues to post impressive grades each season.
At 26, he is competing in his seventh professional season. He has three championship rings already, with the chance for a fourth this year. Last season, he added an individual trophy to his extensive resume. No, not wife Eva Longoria, as much as she might be considered a trophy of sorts, but Parker was named the Finals MVP as the Spurs swept past the Cavaliers in four quick games. On a team loaded with talent, Tony Parker might be one of the best individual players.
After two seasons at Wake Forest, Chris Paul surprisingly slipped to fourth overall selection in the 2005 draft. Highly touted, Paul was always expected to become a very good player in the NBA and is now living up to those expectations with the Hornets.
Paul, 23, led New Orleans to the playoffs for the first time in his three seasons as a professional this spring. The former Rookie of the Year nearly added the league’s MVP award to his trophy cabinet too, as he finished second to Kobe Bryant in the voting. Paul led the league in assists and steals, while averaging a career-high in points and shooting the ball better than he did in his two previous seasons. Not bad, huh?
So who is better?
Is Parker just a good player on one of the best teams in history, or are his skills overshadowed and under-recognized because he plays with a two-time league MVP?
Is Paul the real deal, or does he just stand out more because he isn’t surrounded by the same level of talent that Parker enjoys in San Antonio?
Let’s break it down and see.
Speed & Pace
Both players are lightening fast, but use their speed in different ways. Parker loves getting out on the fast break. When he has the ball in the open court he heads straight for the basket, never fearful of whom he might encounter on his way there. If it’s not a fast break, Parker’s quick feet allow him to score points in the paint with lay-ups and floating one-handed shots. He flashes past opponents and is able to release the ball before defensive help can arrive.
Paul’s pace is deceptive. At times, he even looks sluggish. Never in a rush, he often strolls down the court and uses the full twenty-four seconds available. Within the blink of an eye though, Paul will be in the lane and floating the ball over long-armed defenders, high into the hoop. Like a good magician, Paul’s sleight of hand moves trick his defenders time and again as they often see what’s unfolding, but are unable to react in time to do anything about it.
Shooting & Scoring
Parker shoots the ball at a high percentage. Twice in his career he has shot more than 50% over the course of a season. He was slightly down this year at 49.4%, but he will remain a high percentage-shooter because of the types of shots he takes. He fearlessly spins and twists his way into the key and uses the backboard well to score points. He also likes to float one handed push-shots over his defenders outstretched arms
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Early in his career Parker didn’t have a reliable or consistent jumpshot. However, he has worked hard and has shown remarkable improvement. So much so that now he’s trusted to and is not afraid of taking big-money shots. As recently as Game Seven against New Orleans, with the Spurs up three, Parker confidently drained a sixteen-footer that effectively put the game out of reach.
Parker has averaged 16 points per game in his career, but has put 18.7 in the last three seasons. In the process he has removed any doubt as to whether or not he was the right man for the job in San Antonio after the team considered signing Jason Kidd in the summer of 2003.
To be a complete offensive threat though, Parker needs to improve his three-point and free throw percentages. Last season he flirted with the 80% mark at the line, but this season he dropped back to his career average of 71%. Parker attempted only 66 three-pointers this year, making only seventeen of them. Because of his pace and ability to get into the lane, defenders often back off of him at the three-point line. If he can improve in that area and knock down the long ball, he will become even harder to defend.
Offensively, Paul was devastating this season. He had career-highs in points (21.1) and shot the ball from the field (48%), 3-point line (37%) and charity stripe (85%) better than ever. Somewhat surprisingly, he made fewer trips to the free throw line this year (390) than in his rookie season (465). It was also the first time in his career he reached the 20-point plateau.
Paul’s speed allows him to take a lot of high-percentage shots close to, or in the paint. Like Parker, he has no fear of entering the key to score and his soft one-handed floaters are deadly accurate and effective.
Paul showed this season that he can be a score-first point guard if the situation calls for it. In the first round, the Mavericks tried to nullify Paul’s effectiveness by making him primarily a scorer. He responded by making a complete mockery of Dallas by scoring 67 points in the first two games and averaged 24 a contest for the series as the Hornets ousted the Mavericks in five games.
Edge - Paul
Rebounding
Playing point guard, neither Paul nor Parker is expected to become a major rebounder during their careers.
New Orleans already has two very good rebounders in David West (8.9 rpg) and Tyson Chandler (11.7 rpg). Paul averaged a respectable five rebounds per game in his rookie season, but saw that number drop to four this year. It’s not that Paul can’t rebound, he just doesn’t need to. Three times in his career, Paul has grabbed twelve rebounds in a game.
It’s a similar story with Parker. Being teammates with Tim Duncan (11.8 rpg for his career) means that it is unlikely Parker will ever need to pick up more than the three a game he has averaged over his career. Three times in his career Parker has had ten rebounds in a contest, also showing that he is capable, but as with Paul, it’s just not part of his game to do so.
Edge - Paul
Ball Handling, Passing & Control
One of Paul’s many strengths is his ability to remain in control of the ball. He doesn’t pick up his dribble until exactly the right moment to make a pass or shoot the ball. This season, Paul’s career high in assists (11.6 apg) led the league. What makes that figure even more impressive is that he also ranked third in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.6, meaning Paul dished out almost five assists for every turnover he committed. Unless he’s resting on the bench, pretty much everything New Orleans does offensively runs through Paul.
Two factors that help Paul’s assist totals are Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic, two players who often release the ball moments after they catch it, which creates a higher chance of Paul being credited with an assist. One of New Orleans’ bread-and-butter plays this season was for Paul to make his way into the lane, draw an extra defender, then lob the ball anywhere near the rim so that Chandler’s long arms would catch it and throw it down in one fluid motion. If that option wasn’t available, Paul also had one of the leagues’ best three-point shooters in Stojakovic ready and waiting on the perimeter. Peja never needs an invitation to shoot the ball. Furthermore, David West developed into a reliable seventeen-foot jump shooter, giving Paul yet another option on offense.
Paul’s control, handling of the ball and accuracy on his passes means that he rarely misses his target. His teammates know that if they are in position, he will find them.
Throughout Parker’s career he’s been a consistent distributor of the ball and has averaged a tidy 5.5 assists per game, while putting up six a night this year. He has worked hard on reducing his turnovers per game as well. During the 2005-06 season Parker committed 3.11 turnovers a game, but brought that figure down to a more acceptable 2.38 this year.
San Antonio’s offensive setup is different (than New Orleans) and combined with Parker’s teammates conspires to reduce the opportunities Parker has for higher assist totals. When Duncan gets the ball in the post, he regularly takes his time to make his move, or as he is often double teamed, he kicks the ball out to an open shooter. Another of San Antonio’s stars, Manu Ginobili likes to create a shot or make a play for himself.
So, while Parker often starts the offense, many hands touch the ball before a basket is scored, thus denying him some assist opportunities. He too has good control of the ball though and doesn’t make many silly passes. Parker sometimes looks like he’s running too fast and is out of control, but this is not the case. He is a good dribbler and this allows for him to enter the paint confidently and frequently.
Edge – Paul
Defense
Paul is a thief. No doubt about it. This year he swiped the ball a league-best 2.17 times per game. He was also the only player to record more than 200 steals this season. He had at least one steal in every game during the regular season, and had eighteen games in which he recorded four or more – including games of seven, eight and nine.
Of course, there is more to defense than just stealing the ball and Paul is a very aggressive defender. He has lightening quick hands and he reads plays well. He anticipates where the ball is heading and as well as a lot of steals, he generates a lot of deflections too. His stocky frame allows him to keep his balance better when the ball is near the ground.
Parker isn’t a bad defender, but he’s not a great one either. He’s averaged a steal a game over his career. In San Antonio though, any major defensive assignment the Spurs face goes immediately to Bruce Bowen, with Parker usually picking up a secondary offensive threat. It’s not a knock on Parker; it’s just that Bowen is regarded as maybe the best one-on-one defender in the league.
Paul has had almost as many steals (510) as Parker (539) yet has played 318 games less.
Edge – Paul
Injuries and Durability
Both players have avoided serious injuries throughout their careers and considering the high level at which they play; the few games they’ve missed are to be expected.
Until this season, Parker had never played fewer than 75 games in a season, this year he played in 69. Considering he’s also played in 114 playoff games in his relatively short career, he’s shown he takes good care of himself.
Paul missed 18 games in last season, primarily due to an ankle injury. Other than that though, he’s also shown that he can play through moderate pain and minor injuries. In the coming years, Paul is sure to be put to the test more as he doesn’t shy away from body contact, and defenders will be doing their best to foul him hard and often. He has a good build and is able to absorb contact, but it will be interesting to see if his body holds up.
Edge - Parker
Summary
It’s easy to see that Chris Paul is a better individual talent than Tony Parker, but it’s a very close race. They have similar styles and both play the game aggressively. They both use their speed to enable them to wreak havoc on opposing defenses, and also to make the other facets of their games stronger.
Parker plays on a very good team and after a shaky start to his career, now has the complete confidence of his coach. By winning the Finals MVP trophy last season, he proved beyond any doubt that he is as important to San Antonio’s success as Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.
In the Western Conference semifinals this season, Parker’s Spurs won the first of what promises to be many playoff matchups between their respective teams in seven dramatic games after trailing in the series on several occasions.
The Hornets surprised everyone by finishing second in the West this season, and Paul was the main reason why. With Paul at the controls, this figures to be the start of a long run in the playoffs and maybe even a championship or two along the way. |
