For us, it’s always made a lot of sense to run Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson) off of screens, because of what that can do to the defense,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, whose team routinely ranks at or near the bottom of the league in pick-and-roll frequency and near the top in off-ball actions.

“I always hear that we’re pick-and-roll averse, but we’re really not. It’s just kind of the way Steph is. He’s not James Harden or Luka Doncic where he’s gonna get the shot or the assist or turnover every possession. He’s much more likely to (pass early) and then run off-ball. That’s been one of the things that has made us a little different and unique. And I’ve had a lot of coaches over the years tell me that it’s hard to prepare for, because they don’t see it a lot.”

Kawakami: Chris Paul can balance the Warriors, who really need it now | The Athletic

He’s getting more comfortable,” Draymond said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. You know, you come into a situation like this, it’s hard. Chris, we’ve played against C for years. You come into a situation, you’ve got Steph, you’ve got Klay. You know what those guys have done. And C is a pro’s pro, so he’s not gonna come up trying to impose his will or stepping on nobody’s toes. He’s gonna come in and feel the situation out.

“If I’m honest, I think he’s felt it out too much. Our thing all season long has been, ‘Be aggressive and use your voice.’ So many times he’ll preface it with, like, ‘I know you guys …’ Like, naw. We need your knowledge. We need what you bring to the table. We’ve had to face that all these years. To have him on the team with us now, we want that same guy. We don’t want you to come here and take a back seat. We don’t want you to come here and always defer to us. Like, naw, you’re Chris Paul, we know exactly who you are.

“That was the reason for the move. It wasn’t to get a guy who’s going to come in and fall in line with everybody else. It was to get Chris Paul. And I think he’s gotten more and more comfortable with his voice, with his game, finding his spots, understanding the playbook and all of those things. … He’s starting to come alive in a major way for us, and we need him.”