Chris Paul has only been a Warrior for three months, but he’s tired of being viewed as an outsider to Golden State’s title aspirations.
The Warriors acquired Paul in a blockbuster summer trade with the Washington Wizards in exchange for young guard Jordan Poole, hoping the veteran would help Golden State’s core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. bringing another NBA championship home to Chase Center.
In an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Zena Keita on the latest episode of “Dubs Talk,” Paul was asked how he thinks he will fit into the Warriors’ title plans considering he is new and ringless.
“It’s so crazy and I know you’re asking a question,” Paul told Keita. “But I just say ‘we,’ you know what I mean? It’s not like they’re on a hunt and I’m on another. We are all in the same hunt together.”
As a long-time rival, Paul made it a priority that he and the Warriors strive for a title together, not individually.
Entering his 19th season, Paul has only appeared in one NBA Finals, where he and the 2021 Phoenix Suns lost to the Milwaukee Bucks. Meanwhile, the trio of Curry, Thompson and Green have made it to the Finals six times in the last nine games. The seasons alone brought home four rings.
Paul knows he can’t dwell on the Warriors’ past successes, so he’s instead focused on helping their new squad and getting the most out of this season.
“I don’t know if it’s about fitting in or what,” Paul told Keita. “I think it’s just about building on what we have because it’s not like we want to be (the Warriors). [2017] or your team [2022]. We have our own team with new characteristics and we just have to figure out how it’s going to work.”
The 12-time NBA All-Star will be a key factor in building chemistry between the Warriors. Adding Paul’s high basketball IQ and overall presence to a Golden State roster that already features some of the brightest minds in the league can raise the team’s ceiling even further.
It’s too early to tell whether trading for Paul will bring the Warriors another title. However, the future Hall of Famer has made it clear that he wants to win a championship as a team and not as an individual player.
Paul brings career averages of 17.9 points, 9.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds to Golden State. If he comes close to matching that performance, he could be the difference in the Warriors’ championship or bust year.
Paul will have another opportunity to showcase his talents on Friday night when the Warriors take on the Los Angeles Lakers in a preseason rematch at Crypto.com Arena.
The two teams first played at Chase Center on October 7, when the Warriors defeated the Lakers 125-108. In 13 minutes, Paul finished his Golden State Exhibition debut with six points, four rebounds and five assists.
As the regular season approaches, Paul is eager to shed the label “CP3 and the Warriors.” He’s happily fighting for the NBA championship like everyone else on the roster.
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