Logan Murdock of The Ringer takes an in-depth look at the Warriors‘ Chris Paul experiment, writing that the future Hall-of-Famer was eager to acclimate to his new team as soon as Golden State acquired him over the summer. The 38-year-old point guard is coming off the bench for the first time in his career, which he says is a work in progress.
“It’s figuring it out,” Paul told Murdock. “It’s going to be a process, but at the same time, you want to win in the process.”
According to Murdock, Paul’s first few months with the team have “brought harmony” to the Bay Area, as opposed to the poor locker-room chemistry of last season. Paul has been a connector both on and off the court, with several members of the organization showing appreciation for his leadership and elite basketball IQ.
“He connects all the lineups,” Stephen Curry told Murdock earlier this month. “He’s a gamer, a competitor, he lives and breathes basketball. And even at his age, he knows how to influence games with his brain and his IQ.”
Paul’s contract for 2024/25 is non-guaranteed, so his future with Warriors is uncertain. However, as Murdock writes, the 12-time All-Star has made an excellent first impression.
“It’s been cool, man,” Paul said. “In anything, as you get older, you learn things, you appreciate things more, and I think more than anything, we’re competitors before anything. So I’m excited to see what we all can do.”
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- The Warriors are tired of comparing this season’s team to the 2022/23 group, but Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic says it’s impossible not to notice the difference. Despite dropping Wednesday’s game to sit with a 6-3 record, Golden State battled the defending champion Nuggets to the wire in Denver, displaying a toughness that was often missing last season, Thompson writes. The Warriors have gone 5-2 on the road amid a tough early schedule, a “stark contrast” to the team’s 11-30 road record in ’22/23.
- Second-year guard Keon Ellis, who is on a two-way contract with the Kings, received his first career start in Wednesday’s victory over Portland, which snapped a three-game losing streak, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Ellis replaced former lottery pick Davion Mitchell in the starting lineup, with both players filling in for De’Aaron Fox, who continues to be sidelined with a right ankle sprain. Ellis will start again on Friday, tweets James Ham of ESPN 1320 and TheKingsBeat.com.
- Prior to Friday’s game against OKC, Kings head coach Mike Brown told reporters, including Ham (Twitter link), that Fox and Trey Lyles are making progress in their recoveries, but there’s no return timetable for either player. Lyles, who is battling a left calf strain, has yet to make his season debut.
Davis is looking like a big steal for the warriors. Last night in the G league he dominated the other team with so many easy dunks.
Is it televised or are you out in Santa Cruz?
it was televised last night in the bay area.
It was a G league game, dude. How many times do people need to be schooled on the fact that summer league, pre-season, and G-league games don’t mean $hit. Lemme guess, you were one of the fans talking up Wiseman in the summer and pre-season before last season….
Wiseman never dominated in G league. When was the last time Kerr played a rookie his first season with a healthy squad? NEVER. So i will bookmark this comment and next time you post I can say told you hater.
But you did hype Wiseman before last season, didn’t you? Just like all the fanboys did. I’ll say it again: G League games don’t mean sheeeeeeit (ask Mac McClung how that works). Learn that and you will reduce your number of embarrassing fan-boy takes.
No i didn’t. So now you are full of it. McLung never dominated in G league. Why do you keep digging a bigger hole for yourself. You hate Warriors because your team have not won is so long of a time.
@arc I can’t help but agree with Sawggy on this. G-League, Elite, etc is nothing compared to the NBA. Look at Jalen Green of the Rockets. Played in elite or G-League and dominated the league. Got drafted and not much as progressed at the NBA level. Thompson twins are another at the “lower” league levels and haven’t been as dominant in the NBA.
Davis may be one of the superstars who the league builds around. But I wouldn’t account his success in G League to the NBA. That is like comparing apples to grapes
@pirate. What did I say he dominated at a G league game. Not sure why you are putting down a rookie as if he is lucky. Just saying he had a great game in G league and he looks NBA ready. Even Jokic praised him the other night. Don’t be like Swaggy P just a warrior hater.