The Chris Paul Effect: Franchise-record wins follow wherever he plays

With Phoenix’s 121-110 win over the Lakers on Tuesday, Suns guard Chris Paul became the first player in NBA history to be part of four teams to set a franchise record for victories in a single season.

2007-08: New Orleans Hornets | 56-26
2013-14: LA Clippers | 57-25
2017-18: Houston Rockets | 65-17
2021-22: Phoenix Suns | 63-16

New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2005-11)

The Hornets won a franchise-low 18 games in 2004-05 — tied for the second-worst record in the NBA at 18-64. When the draft lottery came, the Hornets were jumped by both Milwaukee and Portland and ended up with the fourth overall pick. The Bucks took center Andrew Bogut with the first selection; the Hawks followed by taking forward Marvin Williams. Utah was next (having acquired the pick from Portland in a draft-day trade) and selected point guard Deron Williams. The Hornets then selected the other elite point guard prospect in the draft class, Wake Forest product Chris Paul.

Following the devastation from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, the Hornets temporarily relocated to Oklahoma City for the ’05-06 and ’06-07 seasons, just as Paul was beginning his NBA career. He made an immediate impact, averaging 16.1 points, 7.8 assists and 5.1 rebounds to earn Rookie of the Year honors. The Hornets made a 20-win improvement in Paul’s rookie season, finishing with a 38-44 record, rising from dead last in the Western Conference to 10th place. The team’s offensive rating rose from 98.2 (30th) prior to Paul’s arrival to 102.3 (26th) in his rookie season.

The team made only an incremental improvement in Paul’s second season as he missed 18 games due to injury. The Hornets ended the season in 10th place in the West for the second straight season.

The Hornets returned to New Orleans full time for the ’07-08 season — Paul’s third season in the NBA — and gave the New Orleans fans plenty to cheer for as the city continued its rise from the destruction of Katrina. The Hornets didn’t just make the playoffs for the first time in four years, they finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference at 56-26. That mark was not only the young franchise’s best since entering the NBA in 2002, it remains the standard nearly 15 years later.

That season, Paul led the NBA in assists and steals for the first time, earning his first All-Star selection (he now has 12), his first All-NBA selection (he now has four First Team and 10 overall selections), his first All-Defensive selection (he now has seven First Team and nine overall selections). He’s gone on to be the lead the league in assists four times and steals six times — ranking in the top four in both categories all-time. The Hornets’ season came to a close in the Western Conference semifinals, where they were eliminated by San Antonio in seven games.

LA Clippers (2011-17)

Paul played three more seasons in New Orleans before being traded to the LA Clippers prior to the ’11-12 season, ushering in the Lob City Era for the Clippers alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers went 32-50 the year prior, finishing 13th in the West during Griffin’s rookie season.

In Paul’s first three seasons in with LA, Paul led the Clippers to a franchise-best win percentage each year, beginning with the shortened 66-game season in 2011-12 as the Clippers finished 40-26 — an eight-win improvement … in 16 fewer games. The Clippers went from the NBA’s 22nd-ranked offense in (104.8) to the fourth-ranked offense Paul’s first season (107.5). The Clippers made the playoffs for the first time since ’05-06 (and only the second time since ’97-98), a run that was also ended by San Antonio in the Western Conference semifinals.

With the NBA back to a full 82-game schedule in 2012-13, Paul and the Clippers won a franchise-record 56 games, finishing fourth in the Western Conference. The Clippers racked up the league’s fourth-ranked offense (109.8), eighth-ranked defense (102.8) and a third-best net rating (6.9). However, their regular-season success did not carry over to the postseason, as the No. 4 seed Clippers were eliminated by No. 5 Memphis in the first round.

The following season, Paul and the Clippers kept their streak going and finished with a franchise-record 57 wins — a mark that also still stands — in Paul’s third season with the team (just as he did in New Orleans). The Clippers finished third in the West and for the first time led the NBA in offensive efficiency (111.3 points per 100 possessions), while posting the league’s second-best net rating (7.3), trailing only the eventual champion Spurs. Paul led the NBA in assists for the third time in his career and led the league in steals of the fifth time as he was name to the All-NBA and All-Defensive First Teams. In the playoffs, the Clippers defeated Golden State in seven games in the first round before falling to Oklahoma City in six games in the Western Conference semifinals.

Houston Rockets (2017-19)

Paul’s six-year run with the Clippers came to an end following the 2016-17 season; he was traded to the Houston Rockets prior to his 13th season in the league. The move to Houston presented Paul with a much different situation than he faced in New Orleans and Los Angeles: The Hornets had won just 18 games the season prior; the Clippers only 32. This Houston team had won more games (55) than those two teams combined (50).

The Rockets had finished third in the Western Conference, ranked second in offensive efficiency (114.1) and third in net efficiency (5.7) and made it to the Western Conference semifinals before being ousted by … San Antonio.

Paul had taken lottery teams and turned them into perennial playoff teams, but this was the first time he was joining a playoff team and looking to make them title contenders. A 10-win improvement later, the 65-17 Rockets had posted the best record in the NBA. Not only did the Rockets finish with the league’s top offense (114.1), seventh-ranked defense (105.7) and top net rating (8.4), but also set a franchise-record in wins that still stands.

A team has won at least 65 games only 21 times in the 75-year history of the NBA, and no team has done it since the ’17-18 Rockets. But (spoiler alert!) that may change by the end of the week.

Houston’s championship aspirations were dashed by the juggernaut Golden State Warriors, who defeated the Rockets in seven games in an epic Western Conference finals. Paul played one more season in Houston before being traded to Oklahoma City for Russell Westbrook. While the Thunder did not reach a franchise record for wins during’s Paul sole season with the franchise, he did serve as a mentor to OKC’s young roster and helped them finish fifth in the West at 44-28.

Phoenix Suns (2020-21 to present)

The Phoenix Suns traded for the veteran point guard following the bubble season in 2019-20, and the turnaround began in Orlando. Phoenix went a perfect 8-0 in the seeding games as they battled to earn a playoff berth. While their unbeaten record was not enough to climb into the playoff field, it laid the foundation for the future success.

The addition of Paul that offseason added fuel to an already simmering fire. Pairing with Devin Booker in the backcourt and pushing young center Deandre Ayton to reach his full potential, Paul proved to be a perfect complement to head coach Monty Williams — who coached Paul back in New Orleans — as the proverbial coach on the floor for this young squad.

In Paul’s first season in Phoenix, the team made a 17-win improvement and major jumps on both sides of the ball. The Suns offense rose from 12th (111.3) to 7th (116.4) and their defense rose from 17th (110.8) to 6th (110.4). Phoenix not only secured the playoff spot they just missed out on in the bubble, but finished second in the Western Conference. The Suns advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993, though their championship dreams were dashed by Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.

Yet Phoenix has not only run it back in 2021-22, they have been the best team in the NBA from the jump. They enter Friday’s game against the Jazz (8:30 ET, NBA TV) with a league-best 63-17 record. The Suns clinched the top record in the league back on March 24, in Paul’s first game back after missing a month (and 15 games) with a broken thumb.

Paul is on pace to lead the NBA in assists for a fifth time; his 10.7 assists per game represent his best mark since the ’13-14 season in LA. Paul will join Steve Nash (11.4 apg in ’10-11, 10.7 apg in ’11-12) and LeBron James (10.2 apg in ’19-20) as the only players to average double-digit assists in their 15th season or later.

The one notable item missing from Paul’s resume — and the Suns’ as well — is an NBA championship. By winning a franchise-record 63 games, with two more to play, the Suns have positioned themselves to make a run for the Larry O’Brien trophy.