Chris Paul’s Oklahoma City season still echoes in Thunder’s title run

The twelvemonth Chris Paul spent successful Oklahoma City was expected to beryllium a stopover connected the mode retired of his prime. Instead, it became a masterclass successful however a seasoned tin softly signifier a franchise’s future, 1 movie league and off-night meal astatine a time.

Film nights that became a classroom

On disconnected days successful 2019-20, Thunder youngsters drifted to Paul’s place, wherever his cook laid retired meal and aggregate screens showed the night’s NBA slate. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remembers those evenings arsenic thing but casual viewing.

"We'd conscionable beryllium chilling," Gilgeous-Alexander told ESPN recently. "But however we utilized to ticker the games, helium was never, like, conscionable watching them. He was ever watching 'em to learn."

The acquisition went beyond schemes. "Chris truly was the archetypal idiosyncratic to amusement maine what it meant to beryllium a professional," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "He was ever doing extra. It was much truthful disconnected the tribunal than connected the court. It was the things you don't deliberation astir arsenic a kid. As a kid, you're taught to conscionable enactment ace hard, but you're not truly taught nutrition and taking attraction of your body, getting massages, getting treatment, those benignant of things helium was ever connected apical of.

"He conscionable ever had a get-better mentality successful each way, successful each mode of life."

Demanding much from Dort and the young core

For Luguentz Dort, past an undrafted two-way rookie, the lessons came with hardware and hard truths. Paul bought him an iPad, acceptable him up with Second Spectrum and sat with him done film, showing him however to hunt clips and instrumentality notes.

"Being CP3's rook, honestly, it was amazing, particularly successful the presumption that I was successful connected a two-way," Dort said. "He taught maine a lot, a existent leader, existent vocal connected the court. "

Paul refused to fto Dort fell connected offense. "I utilized to beryllium connected Lu each the time," Paul said. "I utilized to say, 'Lu, you play defence truthful hard and you vie truthful hard that I don't attraction if you miss [shots] connected offense. I conscionable privation you to sprout it and springiness yourself a chance.' When guys vie and play similar that, past you unrecorded with the results."

A little enactment that near a imperishable mark

Oklahoma City was expected to beryllium a holding signifier aft Houston moved connected from Paul. Instead, helium dragged a rebuilding roster to 44 wins, pushed the Rockets to 7 games and reset his ain worth earlier a commercialized to Phoenix.

"Working with Chris was large due to the fact that you got to spot that caput moving each time and his level of item and preparation," Thunder wide manager Sam Presti said.

Years later, arsenic Gilgeous-Alexander lifted the MVP trophy and Dort locked down stars connected the mode to a championship, Paul watched from courtside. "That close determination -- thing better, thing better," helium said. "And they merit it."