Golden State Warriors Injury Report (Dec 6): Latest update on Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins' availability
Andrew Wiggins and Chris Paul are both listed as probable for the Golden State Warriors game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, December 6. However, Gary Payton II will be out due to a right calf strain. Nevertheless, the Warriors roster is finally rounding into health following a difficult run of injuries.
With both Paul and Wiggins likely to be in the rotation, Steve Kerr will finally have all of his core rotation available at the same time, which should give Golden State an opportunity to begin making up ground.
The Warriors endured a difficult November. They suffered a six-game losing streak and failed to build any consistency on either side of the court. Slow starts from Klay Thompson, Wiggins, and Paul have all hindered Golden State's opening month of the season.
However, in recent games, the Warriors have been looking more like their old selves. They're moving the ball better, cutting faster, and creating open looks for each other. While on the defensive end, they're switching with pace and purpose.
The Trail Blazers will be an interesting opponent for Golden State, as Steph Curry and Co. will come into the contest as favorites. As such, they will need to execute at a high level and ride out any runs the Blazers make, which is something the Warriors have struggled with at times this season.
Chris Paul will likely move back to the bench
Chris Paul has split his time between the starting lineup and the bench unit to begin his tenure with the Golden State Warriors. However, with the roster now being back to full strength, Paul will likely resume his role as the team's sixth man.
The thinking behind bringing Paul off the bench is that he will provide balance to the rotation and give the second unit a scoring and playmaking punch. Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podzeismki, and Moses Moody are all young contributors within the second unit; having Paul dictate the tempo and generate the offense will be a huge boost to Kerr's rotation.
Nevertheless, the Warriors need Paul to snap out of his shooting slump. The veteran guard is converting 39.9% of his field goal attempts and 32.8% of his looks on the perimeter. If Golden State is going to be an elite team in the Western Conference, they will need Paul to get back to his best and start making a significant impact.
Whether Paul will need a stretch of games to get back into rhythm will remain to be seen. Still, his return to the rotation is going to be a major boost.