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Golden State Warriors veteran point guard Chris Paul came off the bench for the first time in his illustrious 19-year career on Sunday against the Houston Rockets. Some were curious whether Paul would be reluctant to give up his starting spot, but he appears to be fine with his new team’s decision.
Following Golden State’s 106-95 win over the Rockets, Paul was asked what it was like for him to play as a reserve. He spoke about how foreign the role felt for him initially after starting in 1,365 straight games (regular season and playoffs combined).
However, he said that he adjusted once the game started:
“It was different. I mean, Klay (Thompson) told me (1,365) straight games,” Paul said.
“It’s definitely different, but at the end of the day, it’s basketball. So, for me, the warmup is different, a lot of it was, but once you get out there and play in the game, now it’s hooping. It’s cool to be on a team like this where it’s just free-flowing. Everybody playing and sharing the ball.”
Paul added that he's willing to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to help the Warriors win:
“It’s whatever I got to do to help this team win. If that means (not starting), if that means not finishing some games or whatnot,” Paul said.
“If you get a chance to play long enough in your career, there’s things that’s gonna change, there’s things that’s gonna be different. And, you know, I’m here.”
Paul was relegated to a bench role as Warriors veteran forward Draymond Green made his season debut against the Rockets. Green had missed the team’s first two games due to a left ankle sprain.
Green’s playmaking being reinserted into Golden State’s starting lineup made it a rather obvious choice for the Warriors to bring Paul off the bench. The team was never going to bench star guards Steph Curry or Klay Thompson.
Meanwhile, the Warriors’ lineup would have been extremely undersized had they benched forward Andrew Wiggins or center Kevon Looney. So, assuming the Warriors stay healthy, Paul appears likely to continue coming off the bench for the remainder of the season.
How did Chris Paul fare in his first game off the bench?
In his first game coming off the bench on Sunday against Houston, Chris Paul put up a well-rounded stat line in 27 minutes. He finished with eight points, five rebounds, seven assists and one steal on 37.5% shooting.
The veteran point guard served as the leader of a Warriors second unit that features two promising young players, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. Paul’s playmaking presence off the bench could prove to be beneficial to the development of the two guys this season.
In three games, Paul is averaging 10.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game on 34.3% shooting. The Warriors (2-1) next play the New Orleans Pelicans (2-0) on the road on Monday.
