Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told NBA reporters in Las Vegas after a USA practice that the process of deciding the Warriors’ starters for next season will play out over the course of training camp in October. There has been some speculation that newcomer Chris Paul could come off the bench for the first time in his NBA career.
“I think that’ll be a case where you get three weeks of training camp before that first game,” Kerr said, via Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “We’ll just look at all kinds of different combinations. The main thing is we know all those guys are going to play a lot of minutes. But the luxury of having Chris Paul to add to this group that we’ve been lucky enough to have for a decade … pretty remarkable.
“He is one of the great competitors in the game. He’s one of the great point guards of all time. I think he’s a great addition for us, because of his ability to control games, control tempo, take care of the ball.”
The 38-year-old Paul averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists last season for the Phoenix Suns while shooting 44.0% from the floor, 37.5% from 3 and 83.1% from the free-throw line. Paul and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry worked out together on July 9 in Las Vegas for the first time since 2009.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Chris Paul, Steve Kerr & Golden State Warriors Updates
It’s going to be strange to see Paul play for the Warriors. In 2018, Paul’s fake laugh at Kerr went viral on social media. Most recently, Curry told Paul, “This ain’t 2014 no more” during a matchup against the Suns in March. However, Paul is looking forward to being on the other side of his rivalry with the Warriors.
Paul has never won a title during his Hall of Fame career, while Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have captured four championships and played in six NBA Finals. The Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals in six games, so the team will be hungry to go on a championship run next season with Paul in the fold.
“We had a lot of turnovers last year,” Kerr said. “We need to improve that. And the great thing with Chris, he’s so smart that he’ll figure it out. Whether he’s playing with Steph or without Steph. He’s incredibly smart, and the whole group is really smart.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Chris Paul, Steve Kerr & Golden State Warriors Updates
“It’s been a hallmark for our team with Draymond and Steph and Klay and Andre [Iguodala] and all these guys. So you put a bunch of talented, smart players together, good things are going to happen.”
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