New Golden State Warriors’ guard Cory Joseph is excited to embark on his next NBA chapter, particularly as he prepares to play alongside two of the great point-guards in the history of the game.
The 31-year-old signed a one-year, veteran minimum deal with the Warriors earlier this month, signalling his intention to return to the playoff fold after just over two years with the rebuilding Detroit Pistons.
Playing alongside Stephen Curry and Chris Paul provides an “unbelievable opportunity” for Cory Joseph at the Golden State Warriors.
Speaking at his first press conference since signing with the Warriors, the 12-year NBA veteran said he’s “extremely excited” to learn off arguably the two best point-guards of this generation in Stephen Curry and Chris Paul.
“Yeah I think it’s an unbelievable opportunity for me. I get to learn from two of the greats to ever do it at the position. I’m extremely excited, I’m sure I’ll get there and learn, as I said, alot from them”, Joseph said.
While the Warriors’ biggest free agent acquisition may have came nearly a week later in the form of Dario Saric, the addition of Joseph could still prove majorly important given Curry and Paul enter next season at 35 and 38-years-old respectively.
But while many view Joseph as simply Golden State’s third-string point-guard who will play the role of insurance cover for Curry and/or Paul, the man himself believes the trio can work in conjunction together given their differing styles.
“Me. I try to bring that tenacity defensively, try to do all the little things that may not be on the stat sheet but helps winning. I think we all kind of have different games, so we can kind of feed of each other.”
Joseph is looking forward to returning to a team in genuine championship contention, having not tasted the postseason since back-to-back first-round playoff exits with the Indiana Pacers in 2018 and 2019.
The Canadian was part of a playoff team for the first eight years of his career, starting with his four seasons in San Antonio where he won an NBA championship in 2014. He then spent two years in Toronto, averaging over 20 minutes per game in the 2016 and 2017 playoffs where they were ousted by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in back-to-back years.
Although Joseph’s playing time and on-court responsibility may dwindle compared to previous seasons, his veteran leadership and steadiness should prove invaluable after a turbulent 2022-23 for the Warriors.