The Phoenix Suns have undoubtedly reaped the benefits of Chris Paul's demanding leadership style, steadying influence, and high-scoring ability.
And one of the veteran guard's former assistant coaches isn't the least bit surprised by the team's success. Paul has long been a student of the game.
"He's truly, truly a player-coach on the floor," former NBA player and coach Paul Pressey told The DA Show on Tuesday. "He knows the plays, the players, the mindset of the first quarter to the fourth. He dissects the whole game with all the players, and he knows what he has to do to inject his game and his teammates' so they can have an opportunity to win every night.
"He understands that, and I think that's probably the biggest thing he brings to the table. His basketball IQ is off the chart, and he has a passion for winning. And I think he gets his teammates up for the same kind of mindset... The biggest thing for me with Chris Paul is, he wants to win. And all he wants you to do is give what you have, like he gives what he has every night.
"And he's going to push that button. He's going to push that button with his teammates, and find out how they're going to respond... I'll give you another guy, who I coached in LA: Kobe was the same way. Kobe was going to push your buttons until you either step up and give him everything you've got, or you break and go the other way..."
Last Tuesday, in his NBA Finals debut, Paul scored 32 points on 12-of-19 shooting with nine assists, lifting the Suns to a convincing 118-105 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Paul joined Michael Jordan (1991) as the only players in NBA history to score 30 points with nine assists in a Finals debut. He also became the third player at age 36 or older to score 30-plus points in a Finals game.
Phoenix, which owns a 2-1 series lead, will play Game 4 on Wednesday in Milwaukee, with tipoff scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. The Suns currently have a 74-percent chance of winning the title, per FiveThirtyEight.com's projections.
The entire NBA conversation between Pressey and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
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