The Los Angeles Clippers Now Have A Chris Paul Problem

On Monday, it was announced that Chris Paul would spend his 21st and final season with the same franchise he played for from 2011 to 2017.

After nearly a decade-long odyssey, Paul is back with the Los Angeles Clippers in a signing that should punctuate what has been a busy offseason for Los Angeles’ other basketball team.

Along with adding Paul, the Clippers signed Brook Lopez and Bradley Beal, while also trading for John Collins. Last week, I gave my thoughts on what the Clippers’ championship outlook looked like heading into next season. But that was before the Paul news.

How much does his presence on the roster enhance Los Angeles’ chances at a deep playoff run? To put it plainly, is Paul the icing the Clippers need for their title cake?

Chris Paul Addresses The Los Angeles Clippers’ Greatest Weakness

Outside of their age/injury concerns, the Clippers’ greatest weakness is their lack of passing, which can cause their offensive process to become muddled – leading to uneven isolation possessions against stingier defensive teams.

James Harden is a stupendous distributor, ranking in the 90th percentile in Passer Rating. But other than him, the Clippers don’t have a single person in the 66th percentile or higher in this statistical category.

Paul may increase the team’s average age (he’ll be 41 next May), but even in his fifth decade on Earth, the man who sits at second all-time in total assists can still facilitate the basketball. Last season, Grandpa Paul placed in the 93rd percentile in Passer Rating (he has been in the 90th percentile or higher every season of his career, per Thinking Basketball).

Paul gives the Clippers another ball mover to keep possessions from growing stale when Harden is taking a break on the bench. His mastery of the pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop will also pair well with the Clippers’ troika of bigs (Ivica Zubac, Brook Lopez, and John Collins).

The Issue With Playing Chris Paul

In theory, Paul addresses the Clippers’ passing quandary. That’s a game-changer for them, right?

Well, not exactly. At this stage of his career, Paul is neither a major threat to score (19th percentile in points per 75 possessions) nor a credible defender (31st percentile Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus, per Dunks & Threes).

This puts the Clippers in quite a bind. If they close with Paul instead of Beal, they are missing out on the latter’s scoring punch. If they play CP3 over Kris Dunn, they would be missing out on an All-League caliber defender. It’s a similar story with Derrick Jones Jr., Bogdan Bogdanovic, Collins, etc.

As we learned from watching the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers march to the NBA Finals, you need as many versatile players on your roster as possible. As currently constructed, the Clippers still have too many “specialists.” Kawhi Leonard is a two-way player. Zubac is one. Batum is one. Harden isn’t a two-way player, but his offensive value (94th percentile OFF EPM) is enough to make up for his defensive limitations. But what about that fifth spot?

Bogdanovic is a good scorer, but you lose passing and defense with him on the floor. Beal is also a good scorer (and solid playmaker), but he has his own defensive shortcomings. Collins is a skilled big with incredible interior finishing abilities, but his defense is even more devastating given the positions he occupies. Jones and Dunn are two of the best perimeter defenders in basketball, but they aren’t good enough shooters to always be trusted down the stretch. Lopez can shoot and protect the rim at a high level, but his lack of mobility can cause him to get played off the floor in the playoffs. Besides, he and Zubac can’t realistically share the floor for long periods of time.

No matter what, the Clippers’ closing lineup will always have at least one guy who is leaving something on the table on one side of the floor or the other. Against bad teams, this won’t be an issue. Heck, given all their raw talent, this probably won’t be a problem against good teams. But what happens against the great teams like the Thunder or the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Paul makes the Clippers a deeper team, which raises their floor. But their ceiling is still limited by their lack of reliable two-way players.

Paul is a great value add on a minimum contract (3.6 million dollars in 2025-26), but, at the end of the day, he likely doesn’t do enough to raise them to inner circle contender status.