7 Harsh realities of the Golden State Warriors offseason

Harsh Reality #6: Chris Paul is an awkward fit, at best.

The decision by the Warriors to acquire 38-year-old Paul from the Wizards surprised many fans who followed the NBA. After all, Paul’s style of play contradicts Golden State’s offensive style, leading to questions about how he would fit in.

He is known for his ability to orchestrate offenses in the half court, primarily as the ball handler in pick and rolls, but he won’t have nearly as much freedom to play the way that he always has with Golden State. To his credit, Paul seems open to changing up his playing style to fit in with the Warriors, though the team will inevitably have to adjust to him too.

If Paul does indeed come off the bench, then the Warriors’ second unit will likely play slower and more methodically, though he could help the team’s offense, which almost always falls off a cliff when Steph Curry rests. He could also help young players such as Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody reach their potential, as he has with many of the younger players that he has previously played with.

Those are both potential positives, but what about when Paul plays with Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Green? Paul isn’t nearly as effective when playing off the ball since he’s one of the best midrange shooters in NBA history, shooting an outrageous 49.3% on shots 10–16 feet over his career.

Taking the ball out of his hands confines him to being just a capable spot-up shooter, whereas putting the ball in Paul’s hands will take it out of Curry’s. Curry can certainly play off the ball, obviously, as can Thompson, but playing Paul as a part of the closing unit might make the lineup less than the sum of its parts.