Draymond Green made his season debut against the Houston Rockets on Sunday, Oct. 29. The veteran forward had missed his team’s first few games as he continued to work toward full fitness following an ankle injury at the start of training camp. Upon Green’s return to the rotation, Steve Kerr moved Chris Paul to the second unit, making it the first time Paul had come off the bench in his career.
After the game, Green praised the level of talent Golden State has at the guard position. He noted how swapping out Steph Curry for Paul is a luxury no other team in the NBA has and that it gives his team a unique edge throughout a game.
“They were the much better unit this game,” Green said. “Chris is right at the forefront of all of that. And that will be the advantage we’ll have. When you’re talking about replacing Steph Curry with Chris Paul, it doesn’t get much better than that. When you talk about taking your starting point guard out, and the next point guard is Chris Paul? That’s incredible. And we’ll have that advantage all year. That’s something that will be huge for our team.”
Paul made a big impact as part of Golden State’s second unit. His playmaking and veteran leadership allowed the bench rotation to flourish. Paul’s presence ensured the Warriors had a platform to build upon, eventually leading to another win for the Western Conference powerhouse.
"When you're talking replacing Steph Curry with Chris Paul … I mean, it doesn't get much better" pic.twitter.com/XjbXnATExR
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 30, 2023
With Green back in the rotation, it will be interesting to see if Paul remains on the bench moving forward and how he adapts to a role leading the second unit throughout the season.
