LOS ANGELES — Chris Paul examined his crooked knuckles and the surgical scars that form tiny road maps on his hands. He has torn various ligaments in his thumbs and has broken bones in his fingers. He has worn casts and splints. His hands, though, are the indispensable tools of his trade, no matter how gruesome they look.
“I’ve got the worst fingers,” he said.
Paul, the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Clippers, long ago established himself as one of the N.B.A.’s premier defenders. He has collected more steals than any other active player in the league: 1,892 and counting.