"I am concerned": Stephen A. Smith worried about Chris Paul's advanced age as Warriors known for being a fast-paced offense
At 38 years of age, Chris Paul remains one of the best point guards in the NBA. When it comes to his consistency, he has remained an efficient 17.9 points per game scorer while dishing out 9.5 assists. Entering his 19th season in the NBA, Paul will be playing for his sixth team in his career, the Golden State Warriors.
Recently, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith gave his insight on Chris Paul's situation with the Warriors on his "The Stephen A. Smith Show."
"Chris Paul is not one that you need to push the pace," Smith said. "He's 38 years of age, he turns 39 in May. I got to tell you something right now, I am concerned. That brother don't need to be running up and down the court. If you're the Golden State Warriors, you need to push the ball up the floor."
"We all know he's been perptually injured," Smith added, "and we know the pace of play that the Golden State Warriors usually implement could serve as an impediment to the success they hope to have."
The Warriors ran into problems in the 2023 playoffs with a lack of a reliable backup point guard. The addition of Paul could prove to be beneficial for Golden State, especially when Stephen Curry needs a breather on the bench.
However, Smith also made some good points with the team needing a reliable center or forward to be paired alongside Draymond Green at the frontcourt. Kevon Looney is a quality player for the team, but as Smith alluded to, Looney and Green look small under the rim against the league's other bigs.
Chris Paul talks about fit with the Golden State Warriors
Speaking of fitting in with the Golden State Warriors, Chris Paul talked about his perspective on it in an interview on NBC Sports' "Dubs Talk" podcast.
"I got 19 years of experience," Paul said. "The game hadn't changed unless they started shooting with something different ... I feel like, what I've been fortunate is this isn't my first time changing teams. It's not the first time I've heard outside noise, so every time I change teams, everyone says, 'it's not gonna work.'"
From Paul's comments, he highlighted his extensive experience being in the NBA and knowing what it feels like to be on different teams. In each team that Paul has moved to, they have always been a competitive unit with him being the vocal leader that he is.
For Chris Paul, outside distraction is nothing new to him at this point. It's all about proving the doubters and critics wrong once the 2023-24 regular season rolls in.