Warriors' Steve Kerr Hasn't Decided on Starting Lineup After Chris Paul Trade

Chris Paul is a future Hall of Famer and one of the best point guards in NBA history, but there is no guarantee he will be in the starting lineup for the Golden State Warriors this season.

Head coach Steve Kerr addressed whether Paul will start and told reporters he has not decided on the five who will begin games together. "If this is going to work, everyone is going to have to embrace it regardless of who starts," he added.

Earlier this month, ESPN's Marc Spears reported on Yahoo Sports' Good Word with Goodwill podcast (h/t USA Today) that he believes Paul will start and play in short spans.

"I do expect him to start," Spears said. "And I think it's like five-minute spurts. I don't know that they really want his minutes to be high, but I think they're gonna try it. I could be wrong, but that's the gist I'm getting. This isn't an opinion that he's expected to start. It's what I'm hearing. He's never not started in his career."

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green will surely start.

The only question then would be whether Kerr decided to go with a small-ball approach with Paul in the starting lineup or go with a more traditional grouping with Kevon Looney down low.

While players surely want to hear their names called as the starting lineups are announced, it is more important who is on the floor in crunch time. That may be matchup dependent, as teams with a strong low-post presence may require Looney to be on the floor more than others.

Ultimately, Golden State's championship chances will likely come down to whether it can remain healthy over the course of a long season.

Paul (38), Curry (35), Thompson (33) and Green (33) are all veterans with plenty of miles on their legs. Managing their minutes during the regular season over what could be a long playoff run will likely be among Kerr's most important tasks of the season.

That could mean various starters over the course of the campaign.