There was never, and never should have been, an internal debate about the best position for Chris Paul within the Warriors. they always knew.
Paul’s biggest value to this team is as a leader of the second unit, a role he moved into Sunday in Houston.
After more than three months of publicly avoiding the issue, Warriors coach Steve Kerr has finally made it official. And his logic was on display in Golden State’s 106-95 victory over the Rockets at Toyota Center.
“He’s very good and he makes other players better,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters in Houston. “Whether he’s a starter or on the bench, he’s going to impact the game.”
Paul anchored his second unit with Gary Payton II, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Dario Saric, going on a 24-8 run in the second quarter to give the Warriors a huge lead. Despite falling behind at one point in the game against Houston, he gave the Warriors a big lead. After surging in the fourth, Stephen Curry quickly turned it around by making four 3-pointers in less than two minutes.
Paul had eight points, seven assists and five rebounds. Additionally, he posted a team-best plus-22 in 27 minutes on the floor. The other four members of the second unit also finished in the plus bracket.
“Did you like it? Who likes new stuff?” Paul said of his first reserve appearance in his 18-year NBA career. “It’s not a matter of like it or not. It’s new. I don’t hate it. It’s not a matter of like it. I like the fact that we won. That was the most important thing.”
Paul’s stewardship in the first half saved the starting lineup in a way. Curry was quiet in the first half. Draymond Green, who returned after missing training camp and the first two games, committed three turnovers and three fouls in nine minutes. Andrew Wiggins played 15 minutes and 28 minutes in the first half but couldn’t get a rebound. Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney were typically solid.
Curry was the last starter subbed out. When he went to the bench with 4:15 left in the quarter, the Warriors were trailing 18-15. When he returned with 7:42 left in the first half, the second unit had given the Warriors a 39-26 lead.
“They were the much better unit in this game, don’t get me wrong about that, mostly because of me beating the first unit,” Green said. “But they’re a much better unit and Chris is at the forefront of all of that. That’s going to be an advantage for us. We’re talking about replacing Stephen Curry with Chris Paul. There’s nothing better than that.”
In recent seasons, and certainly last season, Golden State’s second unit has tended to struggle offensively. It wasn’t uncommon for leads to evaporate when starters, especially Curry, went to the bench. Finding a solution to the troublesome “un-Steph” minutes was a top priority last summer.
This led Paul to the next general manager, Mike Dunleavy. Yes, CP3 was a long-time enemy. Yes, he is 38 years old. Yes, he’s being paid $30 million this season. And yes, he’s known for being pretty nasty.
But there was no question that he was the best Curry replacement available on the planet.
Paul has continued to find his shot through three games, including two starts, but has recorded 28 assists and five turnovers. His 5.6-to-1 ratio is not sustainable, but the Warriors would be happy if it was 4-to-1. He was 7-1 in his first game off the bench in his 1,365-game career that began in 2005.
Paul said he was “thinking about it” about his role. “It’s such a new thing. Whatever I have to do to help the team win. If that means not finishing some games or whatever. If so.”
CP3’s two challenges were reducing the team’s turnovers and solving non-Steph minutes. Paul has been successful in both of his three matches.
Until this season, Kerr was content to play 35 to 37 minutes per game as the mainstay of Curry, Green, and Thompson. He hopes to have enough bench support to get all three into the low 30s, ideally 32 points or less.
“We’ll see what happens,” Kerr said of his rotation. “Things may change.
“But I love the way it looked tonight. This starting group was the best five-man in the league last year. We have the data and we know this group knows how to play together. We can see for ourselves.”
Last season, the second unit often interfered with the starting lineup. Things should improve once CP3 comes off the bench, even if it comes at the cost of his longest starting streak to begin his NBA career.
“I’ve always been the same in terms of coming into the game and doing whatever I had to do to help the team win,” Paul said. “In this role, whether it means starting or coming off the bench, I know who I am and what I can do. And we It works well for teams with more lineups.
“I’ve never been on a team with this much depth. I’ve been on really good teams, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not necessarily where all these guys start. ”
Eleven Warriors could potentially start, but the legal limit is five. This was Paul’s first experience outside of the starting five, and it was a win for the Warriors in almost every way.
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