Gregg Popovich speaks on importance of Chris Paul’s addition to Spurs

Gregg Popovich speaks on importance of Chris Paul’s addition to Spurs

Outside of drafting UConn guard Stephon Castle with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs’ biggest addition was adding veteran point guard Chris Paul to a one-year, $11 million deal.

On Monday during the team’s media day session, head coach Gregg Popovich spoke on the importance of having Paul in the building–even if it’s for a short period of time.

“He’s gonna be a great mentor for our young guys,” Popovich said, according to Josh Paredes of FanSided. “These guys haven’t really had that. I can’t even quantify how important that will be.

“I’ve despised Chris for many years. It was difficult to play against him because he’s a clever, clever, clever player. His IQ is off the charts. It was always difficult because he’s thinking ahead of us coaches. You hate to play against him but you respect the hell out of him.

“He wanted to know what to expect from me. I was very simplistic. I just said, ‘Be Chris Paul.’ I probably won’t coach him a lick. I’ll just infuse what our strategy is and what we’re looking to do. He’s gonna play and be Chris Paul.”

For one, that was a classic Popovich quote about “despising” him … he’s already in midseason form with the quotes.

Paul, 39, will be entering his 20th NBA season with his seventh different organization. He did wonders for both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Devin Booker, and now he will get to do the same for Castle and, to some extent, Victor Wembanyama. The 7-foot-5 big won’t have to take advice from many players, but the infusion of Paul could do wonders for him in the pick-and-roll and knowing where to position on the interior.

The Spurs also added veteran wing Harrison Barnes in the DeMar DeRozan trade, so one of the league’s youngest rosters last year will now have multiple sources of veteran leadership. Every young team needs at least one veteran, regardless of how good your best players are. Believe it or not, they’re crucial for teaching youngins how to be legit pros.

It’s going to be an uphill climb–San Antonio still may be a year away–but there’s no question that the arrow’s pointing up for the organization entering Wembanyama’s second season.

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