Warriors’ Chris Paul doesn’t start for 1st time in 19-year career

In a surprising turn of events, Chris Paul, one of the NBA’s veteran stars, made his first appearance off the bench in his remarkable 19-season career. The Golden State Warriors were up against the Houston Rockets when Paul came into the game at the 6:58 mark of the first quarter, leaving fans astounded.

With a remarkable streak of starting 1,365 games, including both playoffs and regular season, Paul’s transition to a sixth-man role is a historic moment. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, this is the most consecutive starts to begin a career prior to coming off the bench since 1970-71.

This change in Paul’s role coincided with Draymond Green’s much-anticipated return after recovering from an ankle injury. The Warriors have a team strategy to ensure that regardless of his starting status, Paul will spend a significant amount of time playing alongside the second unit.

Green praised Paul’s ability to bring stability and control to the game. He believes having someone like Paul on the court with the second unit is crucial in achieving consistent performance throughout the team. The goal for the Warriors is to have both units running the same plays effectively.

With Paul’s streak finally broken, Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks now holds the record for the most starts among active players without an appearance as a reserve. Lillard played in his 833rd career game on Sunday night, solidifying his position as a consistent starter. Kyrie Irving from the Dallas Mavericks follows closely behind with all 748 of his NBA appearances being starts.

This report includes information from The Associated Press.