The Spurs can catapult themselves into playoff contention next season

The impact the veterans will have on the Spurs

The 19-year veteran offers elite playmaking, efficient shooting, and solid defense. Last year with the Golden State Warriors, Paul was relegated to a 6th-man role to compliment guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. While he was able to average a solid 9 points, 6 assists, and a steal per game, those marks were all career lows for CP3, and the Warriors just missed out on a playoff spot this season.

Pairing the Point God with Wemby in the pick-and-roll will produce highlights throughout the season, but Paul's veteran experience and leadership can prove vital to a group of young Spurs guards still developing. This is nothing new to CP3, as during his lone 2019-20 campaign with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he led the team to the 5th-best record in the West with a young core.

One of those players was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who just finished top-3 in MVP voting. It's possible that Paul played a large role in the development of SGA. If he can impose that same wisdom on Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell, the sky's the limit for the young backcourt.

Chris Paul isn't the only new veteran in the 210. The Spurs acquired Harrison Barnes from the Sacramento Kings just a few weeks ago as part of a multi-team deal with the Chicago Bulls centered around Demar DeRozan. Barnes has served as a starting-caliber forward for most of his 12-year career and won a championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2015. This past year with the Kings, Barnes started all 82 games while averaging 12 points and 3 rebounds per game on 47% shooting from the field and 39% from three.

While Sactown just missed out on a playoff spot in 2024, Barnes has proven that he can provide solid scoring and shooting for a playoff-caliber team. The forward was a big part of the Kings breaking their 16-season playoff drought last season and can help the Spurs snap their own 5-season drought.

Having a veteran who can consistently give a team 12–14 points a night will always be valuable, especially to a Spurs team that was 5th in the NBA in bench points per game this past season. Alongside Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson, and Julian Champagnie, the Spurs frontcourt is one with a lot of upside that could end up making the difference in whether San Antonio makes it to the playoffs.