Chris Paul's vision has been one of his greatest assets throughout his 11-year NBA career. He's been known to drop a dime or two—and, like his twin brother Cliff, lend a hand—six times averaging double-digit assists.
His three-point shooting, however, while respectable, has never been one of his best tools. That has changed this year. Paul is shooting 46 percent from downtown; his previous career best was 41 percent. That would make him the third-best three-point shooter—right ahead of Stephen Curry—based on 2015-16 final stats.
The improvement could be partially attributed to the Lasik laser eye surgery that Paul underwent in the offseason, according to the Orange County Register. Paul was terrified of getting the surgery done, but now he's a huge fan.
“If something is wrong, I feel like I’m dying,” Paul said. “When I got the Lasik, they had to give me two Valiums. I was about to lay down and they (Paul imitates laser sound)...They tell you it’s going to be grainy for a couple of weeks. I had to put eye drops in for two weeks, four times a day. I was having panic attacks. I couldn’t sleep. These are your eyes. They get dry. I was stressed out.”
People had told Paul throughout his life that he needed contacts or glasses, but as long as he could see the hoop, he felt like he was fine. It eased his tension that fellow NBA superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade previously went through the procedure. Since he's had it, Paul has helped Indiana's Paul George through recovery.
Paul said he called his eye doctor practically daily for three weeks after the surgery.
“My nerves, my anxiety,” he said. “Those are your eyes!”
Paul, who is averaging 18.3 points per game this year, is also killing it from the free throw line, knocking down 89 percent. His Clippers, at 10-2, sit at the top of the Western Conference—yes, even ahead of the Warriors and Spurs.
