The Golden State Warriors have enjoyed multiple championship-winning teams that have spanned over the better part of a decade, yet they’ve consistently run into trouble when Stephen Curry heads to the bench.
During those crucial ‘non-Steph’ minutes with Curry off the court, the Warriors have struggled to maintain the usual flow of their offense. Half-court sets become stagnant and the ball rarely finds the paint, rendering them much easier to defend and contain out on the perimeter.
The addition of Chris Paul gives the Golden State Warriors a viable backup point-guard who can be trusted to buoy the second unit when Stephen Curry needs a rest.
On a recent episode of the Lowe Post podcast, ESPN’s John Hollinger pointed out that Golden State was a whopping -17.7 in the minutes that Curry sat during the 2022-23 postseason. It was one of the main reasons the Warriors struggled throughout the season before eventually being eliminated in the second-round.
Jordan Poole was trusted to be the primary facilitator off the Warriors’ bench last season, but his inconsistent, almost detrimental play practically earned him a permanent seat on the pine. With ‘CP3’ in the mix, Golden State has a veteran point-guard who will naturally run the second unit when Curry needs a breather.
Much has been made of the unorthodox fit between such a methodical game-manager like Paul and a Warriors team that has thrived off of chaos for the better part of a decade — and there will be an adjustment period, no doubt. But Paul has over 18 years of NBA experience and he is still one of the premier floor generals in the NBA.
Perhaps Golden State will alternate between a Curry-led offense and a CP3-led offense, deploying two drastically different styles and tempos to keep opposing defenses on their toes. Or maybe Coach Kerr will prefer to have the two future Hall-of-Famers on the court together, utilizing Steph Curry in an off-ball role with Paul as the initiator.
Either way, the Warriors have options, and in Chris Paul, they have a solution to one of their biggest problems.