"Without him, it was primarily Steph and sometimes Draymond": Warriors' Bruce Fraser on how Chris Paul has revitalized their offense (Exclusive)
It only took one practice for both the Golden State Warriors and the media to see Chris Paul’s eagerness to fit in with the Warriors.
Following the team’s first training camp session, Paul talked extensive Xs and Os with Stephen Curry and Warriors assistant coach Bruce Fraser before working on off-the-ball drills with them. The Warriors witnessed Paul’s collaboration well before that session during off-season workouts, too.
“He wants to seek knowledge with the way we do things,” Fraser told Sportskeeda about Paul. “He’s also a really good resource for knowledge because of his tenure in the league. He offers suggestions. He’s not afraid to do that, but he’s not over the top.”
Warriors' Bruce Fraser on the Steph Curry-Chris Paul partnership (Exclusive)
Fraser talked to Sportskeeda about the Curry-Paul partnership, their respective starts, and more.
Editor’s note: The following 1-on-1 conversation has been condensed and edited.
It’s early, but what have you been your initial takeaways on how Steph and Chris are performing and how they’re playing together?
Fraser: “Both are playing at a high level, Steph especially. But Chris is also playing at a high level with the way he plays. Chris has been an incredible addition. I know you may be interested on how CP affects Steph. But I think he impacts the whole team. He’s been really good as a floor leader. He has the ability to find the right guys at the right time. That helps Klay [Thompson], [Jonathan] Kuminga and you can go down the list. Steph has gotten shots. Chris just adds another playmaker for us. From a strategy standpoint, we now have another guy that can lead the actions and be a decision-maker."
"Before, we relied on Draymond [Green] heavily on that and Andre Iguodala. They’re different players. CP has a cerebral mind, but he can also really score. He hasn’t been shooting it well for his standards so far. But he’s always a great scorer and playmaker. He is not just making Steph better. He’s making the whole team better.”
What things have you seen in training camp and early in the season that has made you comfortable this partnership would work well?
Fraser: “Leading into the season, you know what Chris’ strengths are, and you know what kind of player he is. The only question on if it’s going to work is if he’ll be able to fit into the Warriors-type system. As of now, the answer to that is yes. It’s a big yes. He fits well. He’s a great teammate. Our culture is good with him. All things, as of now, are so good."
"You’re seeing it in some of the games. In some of our actions, they’re in ball screens together or where you see CP and Steph coming off another screen and Chris finding him. They play well together and close games together. We run plays where a big is setting a flair screen or an action for Steph to try to get him open. Chris is the one delivering passes. There are a lot of plays that are set up not just to get Steph, but others the ball. He’s one of the best in the world at it. But there’s definitely a connection between Chris and Steph as well as Chris and Klay. Chris is going to find whoever is open. He’s not biased on who he throws the ball to.”
Slater [The Athletic’s Anthony Slater] shared video of you three after the first practice presumably discussing some of the off-ball work. What came out of those exchanges?
Fraser: “Steph and CP were already doing a lot of work together early. Chris wanted to see how he worked. Steph was super happy to share. A lot of our early workouts early on consisted of actions that those two and in general are ‘Warriors’ kind of actions. We would work on some of that stuff every day. Some of the stuff has already happened on the court. There would be a playcall that they know what is happening. They will work in tandem. There is a connection they have off the court. There is no call, but they go guard to guard where they are both in a screen or flip action. We call it ‘Pistol’ with some sort of action where both of them are out there. I’m not taking any credit for their actions together. But the workouts have spawned a connection.”
What did those workouts look like?
Fraser: “We did a lot of shooting together, getting shots up and then they combined a lot of the things that our team did with some of the Warrior actions. Then in a fun way, they would work on stuff that they would possibly do in actions together. You’re starting to see some of that. They were working on getting to know each other a little bit too through the workouts. That was good with connecting. Then they were doing stuff that we do as an offense.”
Steph has said he still started off the season better in 2015-16 than this season. But how would you compare Steph’s strong start this season to other starts in his other great seasons?
Fraser: “My memory is not that good (laughs). But this has been a really good start for him. I feel like it’s also a good start for our team. Steph always works in the offseason. So, he’s always in pretty good shape and in pretty good form. But with the way our team is connected and the way things are flowing along with his brilliance, this is one of his better starts.”
You do have a good memory, but I understand that it all gets blurred together. How about Steph’s offseason? Are you able to compare/contrast what his offseason priorities/focuses were compared to other summers?
Fraser: “Steph’s offseason was more of the same – lots of shooting, lots of work on his strength and conditioning and ball handling. It’s all the same stuff he does. But I thought this summer, he was very driven. He’s always very driven. But he worked more this summer than in previous summers. He was very driven this summer. The amount of work he was putting in seemed escalated. He would play pickup games and work with the team more. He was incredible. From the amount of time he was putting in, that was one indication. With how much rhythm he was in all summer long, that was another indication. And now it’s the body of results that he’s put on display. That’s another indication.”
I understand Steve will handle the rotations and with Chris starting or coming off the bench in certain games. But philosophically, what’s your outlook on how Steph and Chris can help each other’s game and increase their chances of staying healthy?
Fraser: “Some teams just want to make Steph work. Steph can get off the ball now with Chris playing together. Chris can bring the ball up. Chris can playmake. Chris can set up our offense. In the past without him, it was primarily Steph and occasionally Draymond. With getting another play-making ball handler and leader, that in itself will take the workload off of Steph. It also gives us versatility in other ways offensively. Steph can be on and off the ball. We also have another high-IQ player that can distribute and score. Chris can still score. He hasn’t shot it well this season yet. But no one is worried about that. He’s a playmaker and scorer, a high IQ vet, a really good leader and a really good culture piece for our team. Chris is a pro and in great shape. He’s been a great fit for us.”
Even when considering his body of work, how has Chris’ assist-to-turnover ratio been so good considering he’s just starting with a new team? (CP3 has 62 assists compared to only 6 turnovers)
Fraser: “He has really good shooters to throw the ball to. He’s really good at doing it. Aside from the talent that he has around him, he also has fit into the way we play very well. There’s a comfort level that allows him not to have to get up to speed too quickly. I think he enjoys playing the way that we play. He’s very good at seeing the game and making the right play.”
Steve praised Chris for how he’s eager to learn and collaborate. What jumped out you with those things when he’s worked with you?
Fraser: “He’s inquisitive about sets and reads. He also shares suggestions for what he sees and what he thinks we can do. We’ve put some of his ideas into play. He wants to seek knowledge with the way we do things. He’s also a really good resource for knowledge because of his tenure in the league. He offers suggestions. He’s not afraid to do that. But he’s not over the top. He’s really good at asking questions. He’s a pro.”
I know winning a championship is the main goal. But individually, what’s your outlook on how realistic these milestones should be for Steph and Chris this season: Steph gets third regular-season MVP and finishes with 50-40-90, and Chris gets 6th man of the Year.
Fraser: “I wouldn’t get into specifics about those things. But I know our team has a chance to be really good. On accolades and awards, you can ask those guys that. The goal is a championship, and that’s what they’re both after. They’ve already both had enough awards. Not that awards aren’t good to have. But they’re after the bigger picture.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.