Breaking Down Chris Paul's First Game with Golden State

After an offseason of endless chatter about how the Golden State Warriors were going to use former nemesis Chris Paul, we got our answer. With Draymond Green out with a sprained ankle, Paul started alongside Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney.

Golden State hosted the Phoenix Suns who won 108-104 behind 32 points from Devin Booker in a back and forth battle where both teams struggled shooting.

In an uncharacteristic game from Golden State where they shot 35.6% from the field and 23.3 from beyond the arc, Chris Paul’s impact was felt.

Don’t let the poor shooting performance fool you. Chris Paul fits the Warriors system like Cinderella's glass slipper. The Warriors kryptonite last season was being dead last in both turnovers (16.3) and free throw attempts a game (20.1).

With Paul, the Warriors only had 11 turnovers and got the the charity stripe 28 times. The Lakers led the league last season with 26.3 attempts a game. Correcting these shortcomings will massively increase Golden State's chances to win this season.

The Point Gawd shined as a passer for both the first and second unit where he led the Warriors with a total of nine assists that should have been higher. Consistently, Paul made passes to open up the floor and hit open teammates.

Paul even showed effort on defense, which the last person to wear #3 in a Warriors uniform never even attempted to do. How many times was Jordan Poole unplayable because of how bad he was on the defensive end of the floor?

Already, Paul seems like a breath of fresh air replacing Jordan Poole. Far too often, Poole would make bad decisions, turn the ball over, and be a complete non-factor on defense. Even when flopping, Paul gets calls to go to the line and Poole would just get scored on.

Paul's high basketball fits seamlessly with the Warriors who desperately needed that last year. This should scare the NBA. Not only do they already look better in terms of free throws and turnovers, but he played well with both starters and second unit.

Steph Curry obviously still leads the offense, but having Chris Paul there to efficiently play court general for a second unit that struggled mightily last season is a godsend. Curry can actually take a breather knowing the Warriors can compete while he's off the floor.

In 34 minutes, Paul finished with 14 points, nine assists, six rebounds and was 4-15 shooting.

When the shots from the Warriors and Paul inevitably start to fall, they will be a force to be reckoned with. Look out NBA, Chris Paul may have another legitimate shot at a title.