Richard Jefferson puts Chris Paul a tier below John Stockton: "I would put him in the same class of point guard as Chauncey Billups"

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Richard Jefferson puts Chris Paul a tier below John Stockton: "I would put him in the same class of point guard as Chauncey Billups" originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Chris Paul is set to play in his 21st season in the league after he signed a one-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite this development, it cannot be denied that the Point God's' decorated career is nearing its end. With that, the crew of the "Road Trippin'" recently discussed where Chris stands in the pantheon of all-time great point guards.
Former NBA champion and current broadcaster Richard Jefferson acknowledges that, despite his accomplishments, he falls short of the elite status held by John Stockton. Jefferson points out that Stockton's legendary assists record, set over two decades ago, remains a benchmark CP has yet to approach, placing him in a tier below Stockton.
On the same level as Billups
CP3 and Stockton share similar career paths as elite playmakers and assist machines, yet neither has secured an NBA championship. Both have come agonizingly close, reaching the Finals only to fall short on the sport's grandest stage. However, Jefferson believes the comparison between the two ends there.
"I would put him in the same class of point guard as Chauncey Billups, who has one championship, right and won a Finals MVP," he shared.
"You would say statistically, Chris Paul had a way better career," Jefferson continued. "But I think in the class of: if this was your point guard, the attributes that you are getting, you would even say Chauncey Billups with going to five straight Conference Finals or four straight Conference Finals and two Finals."
"If you look at team success and Chris Paul, he's always had team success, but he's had more team success. So I put him in that tier with those guys," he concluded.
Paul has had a remarkable career, amassing 12,499 assists to place second on the all-time list behind Stockton. However, many consider the latter's record to be near-unbreakable as he totaled 15,806 in his 19-year NBA career. As a matter of fact, the next active player on the all-time assists leader list is Russell Westbrook who stands in the eighth spot with 9,925 dimes.A level below the Magics and Stocktons
There are levels to greatness in the NBA and it's safe to say that Paul belongs to the second tier. Despite being a highly skilled player with an impressive resume, he falls just short of the all-time greats like Stockton and Magic Johnson.
"There's the Magic Johnsons, there's the John Stocktons, there's the Isiah Thomases," Jefferson stated. "Some people have Steph in that point guards [list], some people have him in two guard. I think there's that tier and then I think that there's that next tier."
CP has not been done yet, but the proof is in the numbers. Factoring in his average of 7.4 assists per game in 82 games for the San Antonio Spurs last season, CP needs to average that for the next 447 games to reach Stockton's mark.
"Let me just say this: CP, great point guard, statistically, all the things," Jefferson expressed. "I would say he's still five, six seasons away from John Stockton on the assist record, right?"
While CP continues to make his mark and climb the all-time lists, Stockton's name remains as the mark of excellence, endurance and the ultimate unselfishness.
And while his lack of a championship ring may be a stain on his resume, it can never be denied that he was one of the greatest court generals of all time.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.