Warriors: How a longtime rivalry fuels Steph Curry’s chemistry with Chris Paul
"He was calling out stuff that he had been scouting against us for years and it kind of came into a joke. The different looks he knew were coming."
SAN FRANCISCO — Warriors fans may need some time to adjust to this sight: Steph Curry and Chris Paul in the same uniform and in the starting lineup together.
Fans will get their first glimpse of it on Saturday night at Chase Center when the Warriors take on the Los Angeles Lakers in their first preseason exhibition game.
This pairing, which may be surprising to the outside world, is far more familiar with each other than might be expected.
Curry and Paul organized team-wide mini-camps this offseason in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco, and have also made it a point to get plenty of run together, along with Klay Thompson, during the offseason. They learned quickly that a decade-long rivalry and years of scouting had the former foes completely in sync. It helps, too, that the 38-year-old Paul is one of the smarter players in the NBA playing within an offense that thrives on high basketball IQ.
“He was calling out stuff that he had been scouting against us for years and it kind of came into a joke,” Curry said. “The different looks he knew were coming. … It was pretty seamless, to be honest.”
So chemistry was bubbling when Curry and Paul started official practices at Chase Center on Tuesday. Paul has joined in on Curry’s typically solo post-practice work.
“Building our chemistry and understanding the sets we’re going to run and things that stretch each other,” Curry said. “He plays a certain way and I play a certain way and there’s a challenge there of — I’ll lead a certain part of the workout and he’ll lead a certain part of the workout and sharpen the toolkit that way.”
Paul is entering his 19th NBA season having established himself as a Hall of Fame point guard with a methodical style — he’s a smart ball handler and passer with a deadly mid-range shot. Curry and the Warriors stormed the league with chaotic, high-difficulty and high-efficiency scoring. With fellow playmaker Draymond Green out for at least two more weeks with an ankle sprain, Curry and Paul will get a chance to find synergy with their playing styles.
“It’s different in that respect because he’s proven over the course of his career that he’s the greatest with the ball in his hands in terms of decision-making,” Curry said. “There’s going to be give and take and it’s early to predict what it’ll look like, but in terms of when we’re out there together on the court, I know how to play off ball. Done it plenty of times. We have certain sets that can highlight what we all do well.”
When Curry and Paul aren’t sharing the court, Paul’s role shifts. The hope is he’ll orchestrate the second unit offense to be far more productive than it has throughout the dynasty. Head coach Steve Kerr pointed out the “non-Steph minutes” historically have been about dominating defensively. With Paul, that can change.
“There will be times when he’s on the floor by himself and we can cater the offense to what he’s traditionally used to doing,” Curry said. “But I know he’s very adamant and intentional about figuring out the patterns and the way we create shots and offense, the motion offense and being a threat, too. And that’s going to take time to develop.”
LEBRON OUT
LeBron James will miss Saturday night’s game between the Warriors and Lakers, though he is “100 percent healthy,” according to Los Angeles coach Darvin Ham.
James, entering his 21st NBA season at age 39, missed 27 games last season with a tendon injury in his right foot. The NBA’s oldest active player said Thursday that he hopes to play in at least half of the Lakers’ six preseason games, which include a game in Los Angeles against the Warriors next Friday.