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The San Antonio Spurs' media day kicked off, giving fans their first glimpse of the new star pairing of Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul.
The Spurs added Chris Paul through free agency and acquired Harrison Barnes via trade to provide leadership to the league’s youngest roster from last season. With 33 combined years of experience and 220 playoff games between them, Paul and Barnes are expected to guide the team as they aim to end a five-year playoff absence.
Paul, who inked a one-year, $11 million contract with the Spurs in free agency, will be key to the team's success this season. A lot hinges on the chemistry between him and Wembanyama, and it was a good sign that the pair went viral during media day, clearly enjoying their time together and showing promising signs of camaraderie.
The chance to start played a significant role in Paul's decision to join the Spurs. Last season, the 39-year-old started just 18 games for the Warriors, marking a career low.
Chris Paul giving props to Victor Wembanyama
“I don’t care what it is, he’s competitive and he’s good at damn near everything.” Paul said of the French sophomore.
“I don’t care what it is, he’s competitive and he’s good at damn near everything.”
Newest Spurs guard Chris Paul on his first impressions of Victor Wembanyama 👽
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/vw5yrzJQX5
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 30, 2024
Paul, now entering his 20th season, is widely recognized as one of the NBA's elite floor generals. His impressive career includes 10 All-NBA selections, with four on the first team, seven All-Defensive first-team honors, 12 All-Star appearances, and five seasons leading the league in assists.
“I think the biggest thing that I hope I can bring to this team is the competitiveness. We talk about it all the time. Playing hard is a talent, but it’s not enough. This team here has already shown the ability to play hard and to compete night in and night out, but now we’ve got to figure out how to translate that to wins,” Paul added.
The Spurs have struggled with back-to-back 22-win seasons, but optimism is high for a playoff run, fueled by the extraordinary talent of the 7-foot-3 Victor Wembanyama. Once a dominant force with 22 consecutive playoff appearances during the Robinson and Duncan years, San Antonio is now focused on breaking its recent losing streak and getting back into the postseason mix.
More significantly for San Antonio, Paul has played point guard throughout his entire career, starting in 2008 with New Orleans, where he earned Rookie of the Year honors.
Ending the San Antonio Spurs experiment
Last season, the Spurs tried moving power forward Jeremy Sochan to the starting point guard role, but the experiment was unsuccessful. San Antonio started the season 3-20 as Sochan faced challenges adjusting to a position he had never played at any level.
The experiment also hindered Wembanyama's progress, as he initially started at power forward before transitioning to center, where he began his ascent toward earning Rookie of the Year honors.
Wembanyama posted impressive averages of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, becoming the youngest player to ever lead the league in blocks at 3.6 per game.
He made history as the first player to record 1,500 points, 250 blocks, and 100 3-pointers in a single season. Additionally, Victor Wembanyama joined the ranks of Tim Duncan and David Robinson as one of the only rookies to achieve at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks in a game.
However, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to claim that Wembanyama surpasses all those players, or at the very least, possesses a much higher potential. With Paul’s expertise, he could work his magic once more and elevate Wembanyama to even greater heights during their time together.
