Chris Paul and the Golden State Warriors were mortal enemies throughout their yearly playoff runs in the late 2010s, but the two will be joining forces for the 2023-24 season.
Reddick Questions How Paul Will Fit With Warriors
“The Warriors this past year had the 6th fastest average speed on offense… [Chris] Paul had the slowest average speed on offense amongst players with 1000 minutes played.”
JJ Redick is unsure about CP3’s fit in Golden State 🤔
(via @OldManAndThree)pic.twitter.com/9Lny03KVcr
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 26, 2023
Paul was traded twice in the span of a week. He spent the last three seasons with the Phoenix Suns, who dealt him in the deal to acquire Bradley Beal, but it was assumed that Paul would never actually play a game for the Wizards. That assumption turned out to be true, as he was subsequently traded to the Warriors in exchange for Jordan Poole.
The move sent shock waves around the league. Poole’s struggles were front and center during Golden State’s 2023 playoff run, and his future with the team was in question after his deteriorating relationship with Draymond Green (and who knows who else). But him being traded came as something of a surprise, and Chris Paul being the compensation was certainly not expected.
The Warriors had been looking to the future by adding the young pieces that they have over the last couple of years, but getting rid of Poole disrupts that timeline. Golden State has sacrificed a young potential piece (albeit an expensive one) for what will likely be a two-year stint of Paul.
Hard Numbers Back Up Claims About Pace And Offensive Tendencies
“I’m definitely excited about this because these guys know what it’s all about. They’ve been there, they’ve won over and over again. I’m glad to be a part of that process.”
Chris Paul on having a different mindset now that he’s a member of the Warriorspic.twitter.com/vPssJhvJ0o
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 26, 2023
And just how does he fit with his new team? ESPN’s JJ Redick has his questions.
On a recent episode of his podcast “The Old Man And The Three”, Redick had the following to say:
“Chris is smart enough, he’s going to figure out a way to contribute and help them win games. But the contrast in play style is very apparent.”
He goes on to highlight a few telling statistics. Redick references the contrast in play speed on offense, how long Paul tends to hold the ball versus the Warriors tendencies, and even the amount of ball screens that both tend to lean into.
“I’m not super negative on him running pick and rolls with Kevon Looney or running pick and rolls with Draymond. But you wish there was another front court guy on that roster that he could run a two-man game with outside of those two…That would be my one question mark. Like how much success are they going to have in pick and rolls with those two guys?”
The rosters are certainly not finalized, as we have just begun to scratch the surface of the NBA off-season. Free agency is still looming, though the Warriors have little money to spend, and Green’s future with the team is very much up in the air.
There have been questions about the trade from Golden State’s perspective since it was announced, but Redick is one of the first to use hard numbers to back up his claims.
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