When the Golden State Warriors made a trade with the Washington Wizards to acquire Chris Paul in June, the motive was apparent. The Warriors had long had a great starting lineup with a questionable bench, with both units plagued by turnover issues. Bringing Paul into the fold figured to help the second unit match the efficacy of the first unit, and help quell the turnovers.
We all know what happened when the year began. Paul did stabilize a bench unit — one of the best benches in the league. But fueled by struggles from Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, suspensions to Draymond Green, and overall sloppiness, the starting five inexplicably was one of the worst in the NBA.