Paul already proving a longtime attitude concern is a thing of the past

Chris Paul’s Silver and Black debut is in the books, and it was one filled with mixed reviews. While some were fine with his pass-first approach, others were disturbed by his early passiveness and poor shooting when he decided to put a few up. He went 1/6 from the field but tallied eight assists and seven rebounds. It wasn’t perfect, but it was very good and what should have been expected.

Paul doesn’t de-age 10 years just because the ball tipped off. He’s 39 years old and was brought in to help organize and run the offense. He’s not going to be taking 15 shots a game, and there will be nights like this one when he struggles with efficiency. The latter happens to every player, but even more so when they’re older.

What was more uncertain was how CP3 would conduct himself if scolded by Coach Popovich in the middle of a game. Paul has been known to get, let’s call it “feisty” with his teammates and coaches in the past, and everyone knows how aggressive Pop can be when giving instruction. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for us to find out that we don’t have to worry about that relationship.

Paul is willing to be coached hard now more than ever

Chris Paul has been one of the game's top competitors for a long time. Despite never winning a championship, you'd be hard-pressed to find an athlete who competed against him in his prime say a bad word about his drive. But his talent was also through the roof. He's one of the best point guards in NBA history, and that level of skill occasionally comes with a bit of attitude.

Those players often find that other guys are not working as hard as they are, and it offends them. They'll light a fire under you just as quickly, if not quicker, than a coach. That fiery personality is exactly what you worry about in a culture like the Spurs, where Coach Pop is the fire while players hold each other accountable in more constructive ways.

To be fair, great players often respect coaches who have already established themselves as great coaches, and Popovich surpassed that barometer ages ago. Regardless, it's good to know their relationship will be about working together and not working around each other.

It makes the decision to bring him in at this stage of his career even better since you get the knowledge and mastery without the fuss. That dynamic will make for the perfect season for more growth for the young guys—with a lot of winning sprinkled in.