The Chris Paul Trade Can Win The Warriors The 2024 Championship

• Chris Paul is a good fit for the Warriors and is an experienced veteran that can play a smaller role

• The Warriors didn't utilize pick and roll frequently last season, Chris Paul can change that

• Chris Paul brings a midrange scoring element to the Warriors

After the Golden State Warriors traded for Chris Paul, there was a lot of skepticism about how that deal would end up working out for them. The team notably gave up a young guard in Jordan Poole to make the deal happen, and Poole is a player that many thought would be a future star. When the trade happened, a lot of people were confused about the motivations behind the trade. 

With that being said, there is definitely a good possibility that this deal works out for the Golden State Warriors. The team notably had chemistry issues last season despite all the talent on the roster. That stemmed from Draymond Green's punch on Jordan Poole, and now that Poole is on the Washington Wizards, there is likely to be less friction on the team. Though Jordan Poole is an elite individual player, the addition of Chris Paul could bring them back to their championship ways.

Throughout their dynastic run, the Golden State Warriors have relied on veterans that can accept smaller roles, and play their part as cogs in their system. Players like Shaun Livingston, David West, Andrew Bogut, and Kevon Looney all adapted to Warriors-style basketball and were willing to sacrifice to get to the higher goal of winning a championship. It is clear that the team needs veterans who know how to be effective no matter their minutes, and their approach this offseason reflected that: aside from Chris Paul the team also added Dario Saric.

It was reported that Jordan Poole wanted a starting role, and it is easy to see why the young guard was reluctant to sacrifice and play a smaller role behind the team's established stars. He is a young guard that needs touches to develop, and though he did get offensive opportunities on the Golden State Warriors, Poole never truly got to run the offense as a point guard. On the Wizards, he will get the opportunity to do so, and really showcase unseen parts of his game.

Meanwhile, Chris Paul fits the mold of the type of player that the Golden State Warriors want. Paul is an unselfish player with a lot of experience in the league, and he has progressively been taking fewer shots and demanding fewer touches as he has aged. Chris Paul is efficient and precise with his touches, and that is part of why he has been able to play into his late 30s. This past season, Chris Paul averaged a career-low 11.3 FGA and only had a 19.2 usage rate. Next to Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Klay Thompson, a player with a lower usage rate makes a lot of sense.

From a basketball perspective, Chris Paul will give the Golden State Warriors a steady floor general, who isn't turnover prone and can create open shots for the team's role players. Turnovers were notably a big issue for last season's Warriors team, and adding Paul should help in that department. Paul has the 4th best assist to turnover ratio in the league, with 8.9 assists to 1.9 turnovers a game.

One of the key things that Chris Paul brings to the team is another pick-and-roll ballhandler aside from Stephen Curry. The Warriors' motion offense is clearly effective, as they have won four championships playing their system. However, there are clearly times when they need to diversify what they do, and Curry himself alluded to as much as the conclusion of the season. Last season with the Phoenix Suns, Paul generated 1.00 PPP as the pick-and-roll ballhandler, which puts him among the elite at the 98th percentile. The Warriors were in the bottom 3 of the league in pick-and-roll frequency, and Paul will definitely change that.

Another underrated aspect of Paul's addition is his being an elite midrange scorer. At this point, it is fair to say that only Stephen Curry is highly proficient in that department on the Warriors. For example, Klay Thompson only shot 41.0% from that area this season. Meanwhile, Chris Paul shot 47.7% from midrange over the course of the regular season, on a high volume of 218 attempts across the year. 

The other part of Paul's versatility is him being able to fit in a variety of lineups. He could run the offense for the bench unit, but he could also play well next to Stephen Curry and convert catch-and-shoot opportunities created by Curry's gravity. Paul has a lot of experience playing with ball-dominant stars, and his fitting on the Warriors is only a matter of time. Paul notably shot 52.8% on catch-and-shoot 3PT shots last year with the Suns, albeit on a low volume.

Of course, there are valid concerns about Chris Paul and the Golden State Warriors. Adding another aging player to a core that already has aging players can be a bit of a problem from a durability standpoint. With that being said, the Warriors' medical staff has shown an ability to get the best out of older and injury-prone players from a performance standpoint. For example, Otto Porter Jr. played 63 games for them in the regular season, which was his highest since his time with the Washington Wizards. Porter Jr. only played 8 games with the Raptors last year.

Based on his skill set, Chris Paul should be an elite sixth man for the Golden State Warriors next year, and it is likely that the veteran point guard will be in the Sixth Man of the Year award conversations. Though he won't necessarily score as much as other sixth men, Paul will definitely be a high-impact player, and play the same minutes as some of the starters. Though there are clearly risks to acquiring him, there are a lot of things to like about Chris Paul getting traded to the Warriors. The Warriors won the 2022 NBA championship, and Chris Paul's addition will only make them better next season.

Stats via NBA.com, and The BBall Index

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