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Chris Paul‘s role with the Golden State Warriors for the upcoming season is still in question. Throughout his storied career, Paul has been a starter everywhere he’s played. However, at age 38, on the same team as Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, Paul may find himself coming off the bench for Steve Kerr’s team.
According to an August 22 article from ESPN staff writers, Paul is the favorite to win the 2024 Sixth Man of the Year award, receiving 26.9% of the votes collected. Paul’s elite playmaking and scoring ability could provide Golden State with the sort of bench production fans have been yearning for in recent years — something which hasn’t been lost on the staff writers who produced the article for ESPN.
“Our experts say the Golden State Warriors struck gold with point guard Chris Paul, who joins one of the deepest teams in the league,” ESPNs staff wrote. “The 12-time All-Star is entering his 19th season, and although Paul has never come off the bench, his contributions as a reserve could strengthen the Warriors’ title chances.”
Since joining Golden State, both Paul and Kerr have avoided in-depth discussions over what the veteran guard’s role is going to be next season. However, unless Kerr envisions the Warriors playing incredibly small all season, it’s hard to envision Paul being a full-time member of Golden State’s starting five.
“We obviously have a lot of questions to answer in terms of who’s starting, who’s finishing and that’ll play itself out,” Curry said of Paul during a recent appearance on the ‘Gils Arena Podcast.’ “At the end of the day, we’re all motivated to win. I’m sure nobody more than him. And for us to know exactly where we feel we belong as a team. So there’s a lot going for us in that respect to try to put all our energy toward that.
Paul’s role on the Warriors is likely to be revealed after training camp has come to an end. Regardless of whether Paul will be starting or coming off the bench, his presence will only serve to help raise Golden State’s championship ceiling.
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