Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed his joy at Chris Paul’s return to the team. After being sidelined for nearly two months, the point guard missed the last 21 games but made a comeback earlier this week in a victory against the Washington Wizards. In his return, Paul made an immediate impact, contributing nine points, six assists, and four steals in 22 minutes. However, it wasn’t just the statistics that earned Kerr’s praise.
During the final minutes of the third quarter, Paul directed his teammates on two occasions, guiding Klay Thompson and Jonathan Kuminga to open positions, leading to successful scoring opportunities.
“This is what Chris Paul does,” remarked Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “He organizes the team, provides good opportunities. Throughout the season, he has been a top-notch point guard. It seems like in all our best lineups, he’s in them.”
“He’s always in control of the game. We just function better with Chris. He’s such a great point guard. He always knows exactly what’s happening in the game and what is needed from him,” Kerr continued.
Coming off the bench, Paul added quality to the Warriors’ second unit, forming a talented and historic duo with Thompson. The shooting guard scored 25 points and was the team’s leading scorer.
“You have two Hall of Famers in the backcourt coming off the bench; that’s such a rare feat,” said Thompson. “We take pride in that. It makes our team much more dangerous, and it’s something to build on. We still have another level to reach, and it will require everyone’s best effort.”
Paul, on the other hand, celebrated his return after a long time away from the court but emphasized the need for the Warriors to evolve. Currently, the franchise is in the ninth position in the Western Conference, and their playoff qualification is not secured.
“It was really good to be back playing,” said Paul. “It’s been a tough journey. This is my fifth hand surgery, so I’m probably more grateful to all the people who helped me get back on the court,” he expressed his gratitude.
“It’s still just one game, and we have a lot of work to do as a team and as a unit. We have so much depth and so many different ways to play that it might take a while for us to figure it out. But obviously, we’ll get there and win in the process,” he concluded.
