It won’t be long until we’ll see Chris Paul take the court for the Warriors and now the franchise has four of the best veterans in the game, so winning a championship ASAP is clearly the biggest priority.
Paul has teamed up with some big stars in his time but has never experienced anything like this.
“I’m excited about Steph, Draymond, Klay, all the different guys, Wigs [Andrew Wiggins],” Paul told ESPN. “I’m excited for us to get together and see what it looks like. It’s just crazy how life works. But when it comes to basketball, I’m probably closest to my happiest. I’m obviously happiest when I’m with my family, but basketball is my safe haven; it’s been that way for a long time.”
Many are eager to see what Paul will bring to the Bay as he can provide a solid second-unit while Steph Curry is off the floor.
But, he can also handle the ball very well and could even team up with Curry and Klay Thompson on the court to create some elite scoring opportunities with his midrange game.
As far as his role goes, CP3 isn’t quite sure how it will shape up yet but that doesn’t matter too much to the 18-season veteran.
“At this point in the summer, I can’t even start to even digest that [playing for the Warriors] even a little bit until we all get together,” Paul said. “I won’t know [my role] until we get to camp. In all honesty, probably the same thing it’s always been, to hoop, leadership. With all these years of playing, the game doesn’t change so much. I’m excited to sort of figure that out.”
Paul is playing his cards close to his chest but Warriors coach Steve Kerr has been a little more forthcoming with how he sees CP3 benefitting his team.
Earlier this month, Kerr revealed that he met up with Paul during Summer League in Las Vegas for the first time and told him the team needs more control, since they had the second most turnovers in the league last season.
“…And, so I told him we need his ability to control the game at key times for us and he knows he’s going to adapt to some of the stuff we do,” Kerr said. “Especially when he’s playing with Steph, throwing the ball ahead, playing with a little more pace.”
NBA’s Opening Night will be a real test for Paul since he will face his old Suns team on his new home court with the Warriors. As juicy as it gets.