They can still perform well against weak teams, but when facing strong teams, the Clippers must use Paul cautiously?

In the previous NBA regular season, the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Charlotte Hornets at home 131-116. After this game, the Clippers' record, which ended their three-game losing streak, improved to 5-11, and their ranking rose to 11th in the Western Conference; while the Hornets' record, which suffered a five-game losing streak, has dropped to 4-12, continuing to rank 12th in the Eastern Conference.

In this game, the performance of the Clippers' backup point guard Chris Paul was still so-so. Paul played for 23 minutes and 6 seconds. He made 1 of 5 shots, 1 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, and 0 of 1 free throws. He had 3 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists. He also had 1 turnover and 1 foul, with a plus-minus of +1. Paul's efficiency on the offensive end is still relatively average, and his scoring ability is still not fully utilized. His performance on the defensive end is also very average, and he also does not have very good results. Paul's performance in passing and organization is worthy of recognition. Facing the Hornets' defense, Paul did have a very good effect. His passing and offensive choices after the pick-and-roll were quite good, and he also created many opportunities for his teammates. At least in this game, Paul did have a good effect. He also helped the team's second team stabilize the situation and made his own contribution to the team's victory.

In the NBA regular season last season, Paul played all 82 games on behalf of the San Antonio Spurs as the starting point guard, averaging 28 minutes per game. According to statistics, he had 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks, 1.6 turnovers and 1.8 fouls, shooting 42.7% from the field, 37.7% from the three-point range, and 92.4% from the free throw line. In the previous NBA preseason, Paul played a total of 3 times, averaging 18.9 minutes per game, averaging 8.3 points, 3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. He also had 1.3 turnovers and 2 fouls. He shot 47.1% from the field, 50% from the three-point range, and 100% from the free throw line. Since the start of this season, Paul has played a total of 11 times in the first 16 games, averaging 14.5 minutes per game, averaging 2.5 points, 2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.1 turnovers and 1.5 fouls. He shot 26.3% from the field, 28% from the three-point range, and 50% from the free throw line.

Paul's decline in form this season is indeed obvious to all. It has been difficult for him to provide basic support to the team in terms of scoring, and he can no longer perform in every game in terms of passing and organization. The Hornets did have a big problem on the defensive end in this game. The players didn't even understand the basic defensive positions. Paul has finally made a difference on the offensive end after years of silence, but whether he can maintain this level against stronger opponents is the key question. However, based on Paul's performance in previous games, we are still very worried about this.