Before Chris Paul’s first season in a Warriors uniform, expectations were high.
The 38-year-old point guard arrived in the Bay this summer as part of the trade that sent youngster Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards, and now, Paul finds himself on a star-studded roster of his former opponents.
While Paul’s role — whether in the starting lineup or from the bench — is still unclear. The ESPN expert panel predicts his veteran presence will earn him the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
“Our experts say the Golden State Warriors have struck gold with point guard Chris Paul, who joins one of the deepest teams in the league,” ESPN’s annual NBA predictions piece said. “The 12-time All-Star is entering his 19th season, and although Paul has never come off the bench, his contributions as a reserve will bolster the Warriors’ title chances.”
Paul has made it clear since the trade that his goal is to help the Warriors win games, hopefully leading to the first NBA title of his storied career — but so far he has remained tight-lipped about what his role will be in Golden State.
Since Paul was drafted at No. 4 overall in 2005, he has started all 1,363 games in which he has played. With Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney and Draymond Green firmly entrenched in the Warriors’ starting five, all signs point to Paul mostly coming off the bench during the 2023-24 NBA season.
His status as a career starter and future Hall of Famer certainly gives him a leg up in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation, with ESPN’s panel giving Paul a total of 42 points in their prediction (26.9 percentage of first-place votes), or 12 more points than No. 2 candidate on the list, Los Angeles Lakers Austin Reaves.
Following Paul and Reaves on ESPN’s list are:
3. Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Clippers: 26 points (11.5 percent of first-place votes)
4. Tyler Herro, Miami Heat: 21 points (11.5 percent)
T-5. Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks: 18 points (3.8 percent)
T-5. Malik Monk, Sacramento Kings: 18 points (3.8 percent)
6. Malcolm Brogdon, Boston Celtics: 17 points (7.7 percent)
T-7. Bobby Portis, Milwaukee Bucks: 16 points (3.8 percent)
T-7. Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz: 16 points (7.7 percent)
T-8. Norman Powell, Clippers: 5 points (3.8 percent)
T-8. Obi Toppin, Indiana Pacers: 5 points (3.8 percent)
9. Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls: 4 points
T-10. Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies: 3 points
T-10. Bruce Brown, Pacers: 3 points
T-10. Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans: 3 points
T-10. Benedict Mathurin, Pacers: 3 points
T-10. Kevin Love, Miami Heat: 3 points
Regardless of where Paul ends up in the end-of-season voting, his debut Warriors season is almost guaranteed to be one for the books.
But there’s no question — Paul and the rest of his new teammates in Golden State would rather end up with a ring when all is said and done.
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