Warriors' Chris Paul opens up on coming off the bench for the first time in his NBA career

The Golden State Warriors made a bold move when they traded for Chris Paul. They struggled to take care of the basketball last season, and adding one of the greatest playmakers of all time would certainly help in that regard.

Even so, his fit next to Stephen Curry, and more importantly, the possibility of coming off the bench, raised doubts about the success of this experiment. So far, so good for Steve Kerr’s team.

Paul shook off some questions about his potential role as a reserve during the offseason. He seemingly had a tough time dealing with the idea, but he didn’t allow his ego to get in the way of his team’s sake, and he agreed to do whatever coach Kerr asked of him.

Draymond Green’s return shifted Paul to the second unit, and the team fared quite well. With that in mind, the future Hall of Famer talked about coming off the bench for the first time in his NBA career, putting an end to a 1,365-game streak.

Chris Paul Talks About Coming Off The Bench

“It was different,” the veteran guard admitted. “At the end of the day, it’s basketball. Once you get out there, it’s hooping. It’s cool to be on a team where you’re free-flowing.”

Paul raved about how the rest of the players made it easier for him to get his rhythm going. Also, he admitted this could help him prolong his career and stay fresh for when it matters the most:

“Everybody playing & sharing the ball,” Paul added. “It’s whatever I got to do to help our team win. If it means that, it means not finishing some games, or whatnot. If you get a chance to play long enough in your career, there’s gonna be things that will change and be different. I’m here.”

Not many veterans are able to make that adjustment and gracefully deal with the fact that they’re not starters anymore. Some would flat-out rather retire from the league first.

Paul Needs To Come Off The Bench

Chris Paul is undeniably one of the greatest players of his generation and arguably the last great ‘pure point guard.’ But he has a long withstanding history of shortcomings in the postseason, either because of injuries or subpar performances.

This might be his best — and last — chance to put all that behind him and finally win an NBA championship. He needs the Warriors as much as they need him, if not more.

More than that, Paul is 38 years old, and he might not have a lot of basketball left ahead of him. Every minute counts at that point in his career, especially if you’ve been prone to suffering soft-tissue injuries in your career.

The Warriors can keep his minutes in check to make sure he stays fresh for the playoffs. And while he shouldn’t have anything left to prove — legacy-wise — after everything he’s accomplished in the league, winning an NBA championship as a big contributor for a team like this would turn the narrative around him once and for all.