What Chris Paul is excited about after joining San Antonio Spurs
07/01/2024 09:09 AM
After being waived by the Golden State Warriors ahead of the start of free agency on Sunday afternoon, veteran point guard Chris Paul didn’t waste much time deciding where the next stop along his two-decade-long NBA career would be. On a one year deal worth $11 million, Chris Paul will be joining Gregg Popovich, Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs for the 2024-25 NBA season.
Despite the fact that Paul is coming off of a season in which he made only 18 starts and averaged a career low 9.2 points per game, along with 3.9 rebounds and 6.8 assists, the immediate reaction around the NBA was one of optimism and excitement, with fans imagining Lob City 2.0, this time Deep in the Heart of Texas.
Given the fact that the Spurs are coming off of a 22-win season, some were surprised that Chris Paul, entering year twenty in the NBA and still missing that elusive championship ring, chose to sign with a team that is in the midst of a rebuild instead of with a ready-made title contender. But according to NBA insider Chris Haynes, the opportunity to team up with the Hall of Fame coach and once-in-a-generation star sold Paul on San Antonio.
“I spoke to Chris Paul… He’s excited about the chance to pair up with Wembanyama… Pop just sold him on the culture and what they’re trying to do.” @ChrisBHaynes on CP3 landing with the Spurs pic.twitter.com/bMLeGbftJy
— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 1, 2024
Chris Paul’s admiration of Victor Wembanyama is well-documented. During the season, after a Warriors win over the Spurs in mid-March, Paul gushed about Wemby to the media in his postgame press conference, saying, “He’s such a smart player and a good defender that he changed a couple of my middy’s today. You gotta shoot it to the moon. He does a lot of things that don’t show up on the stat sheet.” Then earlier this month during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Paul heaped even more praise on the young French phenom.
“Wemby is different,” Paul said. “Wemby is the guy that, after the game in the locker room we all were talking about playing against him.”
But the admiration doesn’t just go one way. Paul and Wembanyama swapped jerseys after their first meeting against one another in the preseason, and Gregg Popovich, who has battled with many of the greatest players in the history of the NBA, had nothing but praise for the 12-time All-Star following a loss to the Warriors in the regular season.
“He’s one of the all-time best competitors ever in the league,” Popovich said (h/t Andrew Lopez of ABC News). “He’s a great leader, great competitor. It’s always fun to see him.”
Now Gregg Popovich will get the opportunity to see Chris Paul every day of the season.
Can the Spurs make a Playoff push next season?
Though it’s a cop-out answer, this largely depends on what type of leap the unanimous Rookie of the Year — and Defensive Player of the Year runner-up — can make as he transitions from year one to year two. Even in the midst of his bonkers Rookie season, Victor Wembanyama was making clear strides as the season went along, improving month by month and game by game. Just take a look at Wemby’s numbers during the first three months of his rookie season versus his numbers during the final four months.
October, November, December: 18.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 3.0 blocks, 44/29/79 shooting splits
January, February, March and April: 23.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 3.9 blocks, 48/34/80 shooting splits
It’s not at all a stretch to suggest that Victor Wembanyama spent at least half of his rookie season as one of the most dominant big men in the NBA, and there’s no reason to think that with an experienced point guard spoon-feeding him easy baskets, it should be any different as he continues to grow during his sophomore season.
As far as the rest of the Spurs roster goes, there’s a whole heck of a lot to be intrigued by, and that starts with the 4th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Stephon Castle. Castle’s full potential as an offensive threat may take a little bit of time to unlock, but he should come into the NBA and immediately be a difference maker on the defensive end of the floor. There wasn’t a better perimeter defender in this rookie class than the UConn Husky freshman. Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson have both shown flashes, and Jeremy Sochan still possesses buckets of potential. Tre Jones gives the Spurs one of the top backup point guards in the NBA.
Don’t be surprised to see San Antonio putting up a serious fight for a postseason berth next spring.
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