Chris Paul is off to a historic run as the Golden State Warriors‘ Sixth Man.
Paul dropped a season-high 17 points on top of five rebounds and six assists without a single turnover as he helped the Warriors to a 120-109 victory over the Detroit Pistons Monday night.
It was his most complete game since he became the Warriors’ top reserve four games ago. The 12-time All-Star point guard also came one assist shy of matching a four-decade Warriors record.
Over his last four games, Paul has amassed 29 assists and zero turnovers. His amazing immaculate assist-to-turnover ratio hasn’t been done by a Warriors reserve since current Pepperdine coach Lorenzo Romar’s 30-assists, zero-turnover over a four-game stretch in the 1982-83 season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“Chris has made such a huge impact even without making shots,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the Warriors improved to 6-2. “So the last couple of games, knocking shots down, just adds to what he’s already doing.”
The Warriors swapped Paul for the flamboyant scorer but erratic Jordan Poole in the offseason to help them lower their turnovers and sustain their offense in the non-Stephen Curry minutes.
It proved to be a masterstroke.
The Warriors, the most erratic team in the NBA last season with 16.3 turnovers per game, jumped to top-11 in taking care of the ball this season.
“He’s up to 62 assists to [only] six turnovers. I mean, that’s insane,” Kerr said of Paul in amazement. “That is insane. So what he’s doing as we’re kind of trying to find our rhythm, he’s just keeping us in games by leading that second unit, taking care of the ball, only 11 turnovers tonight. So Chris has just been an amazing force.”
Paul is averaging a career-low 8.8 points but his 0.8 turnover rate is a career-best on top of dishing out 7.8 assists. On the other hand, Poole has logged 22 assists against 17 turnovers in his first six games with the Washington Wizards.
Paul’s veteran poise and leadership have made the Warriors a much better team, especially on the road, with a league-best 5-1 record. Last season, the Warriors only won 11 games on the road, the worst record among all playoff teams.
Stephen Curry named Western Conference Player of the Week
Curry sustained his hot shooting with 34 points against the Pistons on the back of a consecutive game with seven 3-pointers.
The Warriors superstar was named Western Conference Player of the Week before he torched the Pistons. In the past week, Curry led the Warriors to a 3-1 record, averaging 30.1 points per game while making 23 three-pointers in the four games – on 52.3% shooting. He also put up 5.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists as he regained his starting point guard role with Paul relegated to Sixth Man.
With Curry’s hot start to the season and Paul embracing his new role off the bench, the Warriors have the third-best record in the West behind the Dallas Mavericks (6-1) and defending champion Denver Nuggets (7-1).
Warriors Sign Brazilian Wing
The Warriors opted to use their 14th roster spot on Brazilian wing Gui Santos instead of adding another big man.
The 6-foot-7 Santos agreed to a three-year deal, according to ESPN.
Santos was the Warriors’ 55th overall pick of the 2022 NBA draft. The 21-year-old forward played for the Santa Cruz Warriors last season, averaging 12.7 points, six rebounds and four assists. He shot 50% from the field and 33.3% from downtown, a promising showing that intrigued the Warriors.
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Chris Paul’s Historic Run as Warriors’ 6th Man