Breaking Down the Chris Paul Conundrum That May Define the Warriors’ Season

For all the things the aging point guard is lacking, he should vastly improve the team’s ballhandling. But how does he fit into Golden State’s lineup?

There are a number of ways to view the Warriors’ addition of future Hall of Famer Chris Paul.

It’s possible that, at age 38 and coming off his worst shooting efficiency numbers in four seasons, he may not have enough left to elevate Golden State back to championship level; be it because of injuries or a lack of quickness at the point of attack.

It’s also very possible that Paul’s playing style, as a pick-and-roll maestro and midrange master, could serve as a perfect off-speed pitch of sorts for the Warriors, who utilize screen-and-roll sets less than just about any team in the league.

Plugging Paul into the Warriors’ system won’t be so simple for Steve Kerr :: Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports

The range of potential outcomes—one of the biggest things to watch for in the NBA this coming season—is fascinating for a core looking to win its fifth title, and for Paul, who’s still looking to win his first. Stylistically, are Paul and the Warriors a good fit? And if they are, is it with Paul serving as a member of the starting five?

Stephen Curry will obviously be a starter, as will Draymond Green. Klay Thompson would figure to continue starting, especially after the exodus of Jordan Poole. That would leave just two remaining spots, which, as of last year, belonged to Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney.

Removing Wiggins would mean moving the club’s best big-wing defender to the bench, while slotting Looney with the reserves would require Green, now 33 years old and 11 years into his career, to labor defensively by playing the center position more often. (Last season, per Basketball Reference, the 6'6" Green spent 25% of his on-court minutes there.)

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Neither of those things seems ideal. But on the flip side, Paul—one of the most rhythmic point guards in the history of the sport—has literally never come off the bench in his NBA career. Not once in his 1,363-game tenure, the longest streak to start a career since prior to 1970. When asked by a reporter about potentially coming off the bench for Golden State, he responded initially by asking, “You coaching?” He then went on to say that he and coach Steve Kerr haven’t had any in-depth conversations yet about how he’ll be deployed with his new teammates.

It’s a tricky subject, certainly. (And it’s also one that could begin the season one way, then shift later on in the campaign. That wouldn’t be surprising; especially if Paul does start to open the year, but then the team struggles out of the gate.) But it’s one that Paul could likely understand in pursuit of a championship. Regardless of which it turns out to be, he figures to play plenty with both groups—both to give the starters an incredible amount of high-level ballhandling, and to give the younger bench unit more direction and leadership at times.

What Paul adds as a trustworthy ballhandler is critical. No team turned the ball over more times than the Warriors did last season. One year earlier, they were second-to-last in turnovers. It’s a problem that’s long plagued the club, even in key moments during the playoffs at times.

For all the things Paul doesn’t do quite as much or as well at this point—he gets to the rim a third or a fourth as much as he did four or five years ago—he’s still fantastic at taking care of the ball. His almost 4.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last season was even better than his 3.98-to-1 career mark. And that hallmark alone figures to make the Warriors a more explosive, efficient offense, whether Paul does it as a starter or comes off the bench as a reserve for the first time.