Chris Paul‘s record streak of 1,365 consecutive games as a starter ended Sunday night during the Golden State Warriors‘ 106-95 victory over the winless Houston Rockets.
Paul’s sacrifice drew praise from Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who compared his role to a former key cog of their four championship runs.
“It’s massive,” Kerr told reporters after the game. “It’s massive the way Chris has embraced everything here in the first month since he’s been with us. As you know, tonight was the first game of his entire career he didn’t start. And when I talked to him this morning about it, he’s just, like, nodded his head and said, ‘Let’s go get them.’ It’s like not even a big deal.
“So, I think it’s similar to Andre [Iguodala] all those years ago. When a vet, a great player, an All-Star shows that kind of sacrifice, he just sets the tone for the whole team. And so the vibe is great on our team and Chris is one of the main reasons for that,” Kerr continued.
Paul embraced his bench role to the hilt, finishing with eight points, seven assists and five rebounds. More importantly, he was a game-high plus-22 as the Warriors bench outscored the Rockets’ second unit, 41-21.
“He’s so good at making everybody else better,” Kerr said of Paul. “So whether he’s with the starters or with the bench, he’s going to impact the game.”
Is Chris Paul’s Bench Role Permanent?
Draymond Green, who returned from an ankle injury, replaced Paul in the starting lineup. The veteran forward contributed four points, five rebounds and five assists while on a minutes restriction.
Paul had no qualms about the demotion.
“It’s whatever I’ve got to do to help our team win,” Paul said via NBA.com. “So if that means this, if it means not finishing some games or whatnot, you know, if you get a chance to play long enough in your career, there’s things that’s going to change, there’s things that’s going to be different and I’m here.”
But Kerr left the door open for Paul’s return to the starting lineup.
“So, we’ll start that way tomorrow too. And then we’ve got to get a feel. I mean, in five games, if things aren’t going well, we can make a change or even before that,” Kerr said.
NBA Analyst Views Warriors as a Play-in Team
Despite Paul’s addition, former basketball player-turned-ESPN analyst Jay Williams.
“The Golden State Warriors will be in the play-in tournament,” Williams said on the “First Take” via NBC Sports. “We all agree that Stephen Curry has to be the Finals MVP for this team to win a championship, correct? He’s turning 36 years old in March.”
“The only player 36 years and older to win a Finals MVP is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Their age, they’re on the wrong side of age. Median age in your prime is 28 years old. Klay [Thompson] and Draymond [Green], 33 years old, turning 34. Also, you talk about [Chris Paul], 38 years old. That’s a big thing for them, age. Age is a major thing,” Williams continued.
For Williams, the Warriors’ aging core and lack of depth will be their undoing this season.
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Steve Kerr Likens Chris Paul’s Bench Role to Former Warriors Vet