Promo for reporter Miki Berkovic celebrating 70/photo: Yotam RonanVideo editing: Gilad Mann Mannheim
There were quite a few stars in Golden State's 2021/22 championship season, but none were more surprising than Jordan Paul.
The bench player, who the season before recorded 12 points per game, made an unexpected leap in his first playoffs with 17 points per game, with uncharacteristic efficiency (50 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3, 91 percent from the free), along with 2.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the game
He scored 30 points in the first round against Denver, 31 in the second round against Memphis, and also in the final series against Boston he was the big X factor, with 17 points in Game 2, 14 in Games 4 and 5 and 15 in Game 6. "We wouldn't have won the championship without him" , Clay Thompson said about two months ago.
This completed the great breakthrough of the 28th pick in the 2019 draft, who received the ultimate honor and was defined as the third "Splash Brother" alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
The award came the summer after the championship, when Golden State chose to give him a contract of 140 million dollars for four years.
"We are happy to have Jordan with us for the next few years," said general manager Bob Myers.
"He is one of the best young men in the league, with a work ethic and impressive qualities. He is a very important part of our future, just as he was in our run to the championship."
Today, in retrospect, Paul's contract looks like one of the worst in the NBA, one that is very difficult to pass on.
Before the trade window closed last week, it was claimed that the fading star had "negative trade value", meaning - Washington would have to add draft picks to get rid of him, but in the summer of 2022, the Warriors received praise for the deal.
"It's a home run for Golden State," Sports Illustrated wrote.
"He would have received such an offer on the open market, and Golden State was the first to offer him. At this price, he is worth much more to the Warriors than any other team."
It should be noted that the contract in question came shortly after one of the defining moments in Paul's young career - the fatal punch he received from Draymond Green in Warriors practice, which had a significant impact on both of them, and of course also on the difficult season of the outgoing champion.
Last year's numbers were indeed the best of his career (20.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists), but the Warriors were eliminated in the second round against the Lakers, the tensions under the surface continued to bubble, and in the summer it was decided to make a shock.
Golden State sent its young guard and a first-round pick to Washington in exchange for 38-year-old Chris Paul, and the consensus in the American media taught that the Warriors won the trade.
"Jordan Paul was erratic and struggled defensively, Chris Paul is the exact opposite," Sports Illustrated wrote.
"As far as the Wizards are concerned, the move is not really clear. Why gamble on Paul's salary if they are going to rebuild?"
In "Athletic" they added and analyzed: "Jordan Paul is the perfect player for a team that is going to tank - he will take a lot of shots, he will have complete freedom in the attack, zero expectations for winning basketball and his shooting numbers will be exceptional. He will easily be able to score 25 points per game in the coming season , and that's putting it mildly."
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The sequel is known to everyone: Paul is indeed the perfect player for a team that is going to tank, with a lot of crazy and unfortunate moves this season, but the expectations that he will compete for the title of the queen of the baskets seem far-fetched.
The 24-year-old guard scores only 15.6 points per game, with names like Scotty Barnes, Kobe White, RJ Barrett, Devin Vassell, Jaylen Williams, Jaylen Green, Collin Sexton, DeAngelo Russell, Myles Turner, Keldon Johnson, Shaydon Sharp, Malcolm Brogdon, Jarrett Allen and others.
In fact, even bench players like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jordan Clarkson, Austin Reaves and Cam Thomas are scoring more points per game this season.
But that's nothing compared to the horrible percentages - 39.9 from the field and 29.7 from beyond the arc.
Of the 141 players in the league who played enough minutes to be included on ESPN's lists, only Spencer Dinwiddie shot a lower percentage this season from the field (39.1), and of the 165 players who shot enough beyond the arc to be included on those lists, only Nikola Vucevic (27.5) and Jordan Clarkson (29) scored at a lower percentage for three.
Paul actually started the season in a relatively promising way - in his second preseason game raining 41 points on New York's head, in the second game of the regular season he scored 27 against Memphis and during November he scored 30 against Milwaukee, but from moment to moment he is fading.
In January he was at 14.8 points (41.2 percent from the field, 31.2 percent for 3) per game, and in February he is currently at only 10 points, on 30 percent from the field and 20 percent beyond the arc.
Against Cleveland last week he sank to the bottom of the ladder and finished with 0 points (0 of 5 from the field) and 6 fouls in 25 minutes, when the Washington fans had no choice but to boo him.
Tonight (between Monday and Tuesday) against Dallas provided another nightmarish night with 3 points (1 of 12 from the field).
"We're all behind him, sometimes he just thinks too much," Kyle Kuzma claimed a few months ago.
"He will get out of it. He works hard and loves basketball and we support him."
As you may remember, commentator Kevin Garnett also harshly attacked Paul, saying on his podcast: "He's just anything but a basketball player! I saw him talking to teammates during a timeout, not looking at the drill... That's not a leader! Nobody listens to you! No one hears you! Champion? He doesn't act like that. Shit, you don't bring a championship vibe to this team. Is that what you learned at Golden State? Where's the professionalism. That's why they kicked his ass. Players like that don't belong in this league, they have no place in this league."
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