Chris Paul was once left bamboozled when asked if Warriors teammate Steph Curry influenced 3-ball explosion: "Hell yeah!"
Steph Curry has revolutionized the game of basketball over the last decade or so with his elite three-point shooting.
Curry has been a major part of the Golden State Warriors dynasty with six NBA Finals appearances and four championships, and there is no player or fan that doesn't recognize the impact he has had in the evolution of three-point shooting.
"Is that a rhetorical question? Hell Yeah! I think for me too being involved in grass-roots basketball, like AAU basketball and knowing Trae Young when he was younger and playing AAU and seeing Trae come across half-court, pulling up, shooting, you know that's all Steph! Seeing the way kids shoot the ball now, so deep, and stuff like that, that's the influence that he definitely had," Chris Paul told reporters about the four-time champion after a game between Golden State and the Phoenix Suns in late 2021.
Ever since he took the league by storm in 2014, his three-point shooting has highlighted his career. Steph Curry became the NBA all-time leader in three-pointers made, surpassing the legendary Ray Allen, and has now made 3,390 threes. Given that he still has a few years left in his career, it is highly unlikely that his record will be broken anytime soon.
For his part, Chris Paul has joined the Warriors and will become teammates with Curry and the rest of Golden State's core, as he is chasing his first championship.
Steph Curry confident about Chris Paul's fit with Warriors
Chris Paul signing with the Warriors was one of the most significant moves in the offseason. His addition brings more depth to a Golden State team that struggled when its Big Three didn't score a lot.
Meanwhile, Steph Curry believes Paul's signing will certainly benefit the Warriors, as the All-Star guard has the winning mentality the Warriors need for another NBA Finals run.
"It’s one of those things where you have a guy that understands how to play basketball. He’s elevated teams that he’s been on his entire career and even at this stage, like what he did in Phoenix when he’s been there. I know, you know that they didn’t accomplish the goal, but they were better because of his leadership and his ability to manage the flow of games," Steph Curry told Gilbert Arenas recently.
Paul has never come off the bench in his career, so it wouldn't come as a surprise if he plays alongside Curry and Klay Thompson in the starting lineup.
"We have a lot of questions to answer in terms of who’s starting, who’s finishing and that’ll play itself out but at the end of the day, we all I think are motivated to win, you know? I’m sure nobody more than him," Steph Curry said.
We should find out more about that after the start of training camp in late September - early October. In their season opener, the Warriors will host Chris Paul's former team, the Phoenix Suns, at Chase Center on Tuesday, Oct. 24.