"Perfect fit for us": Warriors coach Steve Kerr highlights need for Chris Paul's leadership following last year's playoff disappointment
Many were critical of the Golden State Warriors’ move to acquire 38-year-old veteran point guard Chris Paul this offseason. Since Paul needs the ball in his hands to be effective, his fit with Steph Curry, arguably the NBA’s best point guard, seems very questionable. However, according to Warriors coach Steve Kerr, Paul is still the perfect fit for Golden State.
During a recent interview with 95.7 The Game, Kerr spoke about how Paul’s veteran presence and leadership are exactly what Golden State was missing. Kerr added that Paul should help fix the chemistry issues that plagued the team all last season up until its disappointing second-round playoff exit:
“He’s the perfect fit for us right now because frankly, I think we needed leadership.
“I think we needed a guiding force for this group. I think our team was so young last year and obviously never really got it going. I think we put up a pretty good fight in the playoffs, but we never really found our groove.”
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Steve Kerr says the Warriors are a more balanced team entering this season
During his same interview, Steve Kerr also touched on Golden State’s other recent veteran acquisitions, including big man Dario Saric and point guard Cory Joseph. Kerr said that Saric and Joseph, along with Chris Paul, not only fill the team's leadership void but are all productive players as well:
“I think coming into this season, (GM) Mike Dunleavy and his staff recognized that we needed more veteran leadership. Between Chris and Dario Saric and Cory Joseph, we added three incredible professionals and really, really good players.
“Obviously, Chris is a Hall of Famer, but Dario is a terrific player and Cory has been a rock-solid point guard in this league for almost a decade.”
Kerr added that following their offseason changes, the Warriors now enter the 2023-24 NBA season as a much more complete team:
“So, it just feels like this group is more balanced and more capable of kind of getting off to a good start, starting something early and building some momentum."
Golden State finished 44-38 (sixth in the Western Conference) last season before going on to lose 4-2 to the LA Lakers in the West semifinals. However, the year prior, the team captured the 2022 NBA championship. So, perhaps the Warriors’ new additions will be able to help them get back to title contention in 2024.
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