During the 2019-20 NBA season, Chris Paul turned his Oklahoma City rental house into a classroom. On most free evenings, the veteran point guard invited teammates to dinner prepared by a personal chef while multiple screens streamed that night’s league schedule. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, then in his second year, and rookie Luguentz Dort became regulars on Paul’s couches, listening as the 12-time All-Star dissected offensive sets, defensive coverages and individual tendencies.
“He never watched a game just to watch,” Gilgeous-Alexander recalled. “He was always studying.”
Personal tutorials
Paul’s teaching extended beyond conversation. Noting that Dort was on a two-way contract and could not easily afford extra tools, Paul bought the undrafted rookie an iPad and set up a Second Spectrum account so he could sort game clips by play type and statistic. The two often reviewed possessions together, with Paul pointing out details and advising Dort to log notes.
Paul also pushed Dort to shoot open three-pointers despite a 29.7% success rate that year. “You guard that hard; I’ll live with the result if you miss,” Paul told him. Dort eventually elevated his long-range accuracy to 41.2% by last season.
Off-court professionalism
Nutrition, recovery and weight training were non-negotiable topics. On a road trip early that season, Paul phoned Gilgeous-Alexander on an off-day: “Let’s lift,” he said, explaining how in-season strength work prevents injury. The two became frequent weight-room partners, and Gilgeous-Alexander credits that routine for his rise to MVP status.
“Chris was the first person to show me how to be a pro,” the guard said. “He had a get-better mentality in every part of life.”
A season that beat expectations
Paul arrived in Oklahoma City at age 34 after Houston traded him, along with a package of draft picks, for Russell Westbrook. Widely expected to be flipped again as the Thunder stockpiled assets, Paul instead led a roster headed for a rebuild to a 44-28 mark and a seven-game first-round series against Houston inside the Orlando bubble. He made All-NBA Second Team while averaging 17.6 points, 6.7 assists and 1.6 steals.
Head coach Mark Daigneault, then an assistant, remembers Paul’s consistency. “On those invisible midweek games, he’s ready,” Daigneault said. “The seriousness of his preparation affects the whole group.”
Departure and legacy
General manager Sam Presti and Paul agreed the guard would be moved after the bubble. Oklahoma City sent him to the Phoenix Suns, receiving a first-round pick in return. While Paul continues to chase an elusive championship elsewhere, the Thunder cite his single season as a cultural turning point that helped fuel last year’s title run.
Paul watched from courtside as Gilgeous-Alexander collected the Western Conference finals MVP trophy and later attended an NBA Finals game. “Nothing better,” he said of seeing his former teammates win.
Dort still studies film on the iPad Paul bought him, a daily reminder of habits learned five years ago. The Thunder, meanwhile, retain only two players from that roster—Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort—yet traces of Paul’s influence remain in their routines, conversations and results.
Source: ESPN
