Questions surrounding Chris Paul‘s fit on the Golden State Warriors roster continue to swirl. The veteran guard has been a starter for his whole career but has joined a team that is led by Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Golden State could choose to run a three-guard lineup, but that would mean playing incredibly small. Otherwise, Paul could assume a bench role for the Warriors – which wouldn’t be the worst thing at this stage of his career.
When speaking to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps during the second day of Team USA’s practice, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was once again asked about Paul’s potential role next season. However, the championship-winning coach continues to keep his cards close to his chest, noting how decisions will be made during training camp.
“I think that’ll be a case where you get three weeks of training camp before that first game,” Kerr said “We’ll just look at all kinds of different combinations…The main thing is we know all those guys are going to play a lot of minutes…He is one of the great competitors in the game. He’s one of the great point guards of all time. I think he’s a great addition for us, because of his ability to control games, control tempo, take care of the ball.”
Joe Lacob shed some light on the Golden State Warriors decision to trade Jordan Poole for Chris Paul. https://t.co/RC5SuAULE1
— Warriors Wire (@TheWarriorsWire) July 17, 2023
Bringing Paul off the bench would provide the Warriors with an elite guard rotation, which the addition of Cory Joseph has further boosted. However, after a season where Golden State’s team chemistry never reached its usual highs, finding a way to appease Paul while also putting the team in a position to win is going to be key.
Kerr has never had to walk a tightrope like this before, so it will be interesting to see how he navigates the Warriors rotation next season and what role(s) Paul will assume throughout the basketball year.
