The Golden State Warriors‘ efforts to win their fifth NBA championship since 2015 fell short last season when they lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Although their core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green remains intact, they have a new core player in veteran point guard Chris Paul.
Paul will add a new element for the Warriors, not just in terms of their offense, but also in terms of leadership.
He is known as a strong leader and personality, and Curry said that Paul and Green will not stop talking when asked about having two of the NBA’s most disliked players on the same roster, via Warriors on NBCS.
“Neither one of them is going to stop talking.”
Steph on the new Dray-CP3 partnership 😂 pic.twitter.com/gbEdpf3lHk
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 2, 2023
Green has always been the heart and soul of the Warriors, but Paul could end up joining that category, especially when one considers his style of play.
That style of play will be an interesting fit with their free-wheeling, motion-centric offense, as Paul likes to control the ball and milk the shot clock before deciding to either look to score or get someone else involved.
His production has significantly declined over the last year or two, as has his shooting percentages, but the hope is that a reduced workload will help him be more efficient on a consistent basis.
Golden State has gotten older by giving up Jordan Poole for the 38-year-old Paul, but they still have other young contributors in big man Kevon Looney, forwards Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga, and guard Moses Moody.
If plenty of things go right, perhaps they will have a real shot at getting their fifth ring of the Curry era next summer.
