SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was front-and-center at the team’s media day as he prepares to lead the Silver and Black for his 29th straight campaign.
In the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season, Popovich has the chance to lead one of his longtime nemeses on the court in point guard and 19-year veteran Chris Paul.
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“It was always difficult to play against him because he’s not just the consummate competitor, but he is a clever, clever, clever player. His IQ is off the charts, “said Popovich.
Popovich admits that he hated playing against Paul, but he also said he respects the hell out of him and is honored to almost be on the same court with him. Now, the winningest coach in NBA history will get to work alongside Paul after he signed a one-year deal with the Spurs back in July.
“To have him working in our family is pretty special,” Pop told the media. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself to think about having the opportunity to watch him on a day-to-day basis because it’s always been from afar.”
The Spurs have fielded the youngest team in the NBA for a couple of seasons now, and often that youth got in the way of winning games, especially in crunch time. The addition of the 39-year-old Paul is only going to make the Spurs better.
“He’s going to be a great mentor for our young guys,” said Popovich. “These young guys, for the most part, haven’t had that. Even Victor, I mean, obviously, he’s super talented, but he needs that also, just like everybody else who’s young.”
Popovich also praised 32-year-old Harrison Barnes, who was traded to the Spurs in July 2024, for his veteran leadership and basketball knowledge. He said Barnes will be just as important as Paul in helping the younger players learn how to win.
Coming off back-to-back 22-win seasons, the Spurs appear to be trending upward. The additions of Paul and Barnes, along with the growth of Victor Wembanyama, have some feeling this is the season that the Spurs could make a big leap.
“Our expectations are the same as they’ve been from the first year I coached,” said Pop. “We want to be the best possible team we can be. That’s individually, as far as development goes, which has obviously been a big factor in the last couple of years. And team-wise, how to play. What it takes to win. So those are our goals.”
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