It took no time at all for the fans at Chase Center to begin chanting for the very man they once vehemently rooted against.

“C-P-THREE,” they roared after Chris Paul sank a free throw, briefly giving the Warriors their largest lead of the night. “C-P-THREE.”

Paul’s start wasn’t promising, as he commenced his first regular-season game in a Warriors uniform by going 0-for-6 from the field. The game didn’t end well for the team either, with the Warriors faltering down the stretch in a 108-104 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

However, as the 2023-24 Warriors season unfolded and the game found its rhythm, the 38-year-old point guard kept improving.

Paul finished the game with 14 points on 4-for-15 shooting, contributing six rebounds, two steals, nine assists, and only one turnover.

“I thought he looked really comfortable tonight,” commented Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

Anticipation had surrounded Paul’s inclusion in the Warriors’ starting lineup this season, but Draymond Green’s ankle injury made the decision a straightforward one for Kerr. To start his 10th year as the Warriors’ head coach, Kerr fielded the following starting lineup: Paul, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Kevon Looney.

The initial stages of the game proved challenging, with the Warriors often appearing “clunky” on offense, as Kerr noted. Watching Paul and Curry on the floor together in the first half was a novel experience for Warriors fans accustomed to Curry handling the ball upcourt.

The unusual setup affected Curry as well, as he admitted to still trying to determine the origin of scoring opportunities depending on who initiated ball movement.

When Paul directed the offense, there was a more deliberate approach to slowing the pace of the game, differing from the “typical organized chaos” that Curry associated with the Warriors’ style.

“We keep talking about the balance of playing fast but under control,” Paul stated. “I’m just trying to figure out how we’re going to play this year. It’s not about what they did in the past. It’s about what our team is going to do right now to be successful.”

Following a first half where Paul, Curry, and the Warriors seemed to be acclimating to each other, the Suns held a comfortable 61-46 lead.

Nonetheless, with Curry and Paul taking the floor together to start the third quarter, something began to click. Curry heated up, asserted greater control over the ball, and led the Warriors on a 15-3 run. When Curry exited the game midway through the quarter, Paul took over.

He made his first field goal, an 11-foot jumper, breaking his 0-for-6 streak. Throughout most of the game, Paul prioritized the scoring opportunities of his teammates over his own. During the halftime show on TNT, NBA broadcaster Kenny Smith remarked that the Warriors were “too unselfish.” Finally, Paul began to attack the rim himself. He dribbled past two defenders, faked a pass to Kevon Looney inside, and converted a layup while drawing a foul. As he waited at the free-throw line, the crowd erupted in the chant, “C-P-THREE.”

Paul’s hot streak in the third quarter pushed the Warriors’ lead to eight. However, Curry encountered foul trouble in the fourth, and the Suns mounted a comeback to secure a close victory.

Nevertheless, the Warriors felt optimistic about their performance.

“A lot of confidence is building, and we’ll continue to improve,” said Curry, who scored 27 points despite making only 4-of-14 attempts from beyond the arc.

Paul expressed his excitement, stating, “I’m just excited about it.”

Even after a game in which he tallied nine assists, mirroring his season average from the previous year, Paul quickly recognized that creating open shots for his teammates may be more challenging than simply taking them himself. Playing alongside Curry and Thompson, two of the greatest 3-point shooters in NBA history, often left Paul wide open from long range.

“The freedom, the pull-up threes that I got a chance to shoot tonight, I don’t know,” remarked Paul, who went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc. “When you’re playing with guys who shoot as well as Steph and Klay do, I think the more games we play together, the more comfortable I’ll get being aggressive and finding that balance.”

Paul acknowledged that the Warriors “almost have guys who are too unselfish” but noted that “we’re all getting used to each other.”

“Me and Steph played two totally different ways,” he explained. “That’s an adjustment for a lot of these guys. It’s an adjustment for us.

“But you can tell the spirit we have. Spirit is something you can’t hide. I’m excited about our team.”

Kerr pointed out that it typically takes 20-25 games for a team to develop a mutual understanding.

“This is just the first glimpse,” he emphasized. “But it was great to have Chris out there running the show.”