Chris Paul is arguably the best point guard of his era. Ever since he was drafted 4th overall by the New Orleans Hornets (now known as the New Orleans Pelicans) in the 2005 NBA Draft, he's always been the starting point guard of his team when he's healthy. After 18 seasons and 1,216 games played as a starter in the regular season, that finally changed after he was traded to the Golden State Warriors.
Since the NBA started tracking games back in 1982, Paul ranks in the top 5 for most consecutive starts by a player, including playoff games. In fact, the last time Paul started a game on the bench before the 2023-2024 season was when he was in college at Wake Forest, and even then, Paul wasn't supposed to come off the bench, but was forced to do so when he arrived to the game four minutes late because he missed the team bus.
When Chris Paul finally started an NBA game on the bench
In the 2023 offseason, Paul knew his streak as a starter was bound to end when he was traded to the Warriors. As much as head coach Steve Kerr would like to pair Paul with Stephen Curry for the majority of the game in their backcourt, the Warriors would severely lack size and struggle on defense. While he did get to start their first two games of the season, Paul had to accept his fate once Draymond Green returned to the lineup.
On October 29th, 2023, Paul came off the bench for the first time in his career against the Houston Rockets. Playing in a completely new role, Paul did fairly well in his first game as a sixth man, finishing with eight points, seven assists, and five rebounds in 27 minutes of action. Most importantly, the Warriors managed to get the win, defeating the Rockets 106-95.
Paul has continued to come off the bench for the Warriors whenever Curry is healthy. For the season, Paul averages career lows in points and minutes played per game. However, he does only average 1.3 turnovers per game, which is the lowest that figure has been over his 18-year career, although again, that's likely due to his decreased minutes.
While the Warriors may no longer be the most feared team in the NBA, the change might be beneficial to Paul. After doing the same thing for 18 years and only having one NBA Finals appearance to his name, who knows how this season could still play out. After all, their team does still have the greatest shooter in NBA history, and we all know Curry saves his best when it matters most.
Follow Us
Subscribe