Rich Paul is every Spurs fan when talking about what makes this team special

San Antonio isn't who you thought they would be. They're much better. That's not a coincidence. Coach Popovich chose Mitch Johnson as his successor for a reason, and LeBron James' longtime friend and agent, Rich Paul, hits the nail on the head when discussing why.

"Mitch Johnson worked predraft camp for me with Dejounte Murray... Mitch Johnson goes and works for the G League team, then he works his way to the back of the bench; then he works his way to the front of the bench. Now he's the head coach of the Spurs." - Rich Paul

One thing that Coach Pop used to harp on with his team is the need not to skip steps. Mitch lived that. He worked his way from the very bottom of the organization to the top. They trusted him with their generational player and star-level young guards because he earned that, and Spurs Nation should be elated that they did.

Mitch Johnson has full command of the team

The players support Coach Johnson unequivocally any and every time they're asked a question about their young leader. Never once have you heard any doubt from those guys. That's proof that they're completely bought in, and if you needed more evidence, look at how hard they compete nightly. There is no quit in this team, and they get that from their commander.

Rich Paul didn't stop there, though. He went on to compliment the roster construction of this team—something that many thought the front office was getting wrong. Their dedication to adding intelligent guards with size and versatile wings has paid off greatly.

Paul stressed the importance of having young players like Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, who are playing as if they've already earned a lucrative second contract. He's right. If you knew nothing about them and watched a Spurs game for the first time, you wouldn't believe that one is a freshman and the other a sophomore. They don't play like immature, wide-eyed kids. They play like men.

You don't have to pay any of them right now, either, so San Antonio is in the driver's seat for their future. It's why trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo is out of the question. There's just no need, and if you let this thing grow, you can have something even better than what you would have had by moving one of them for a few years of the 31-year-old Greek Freak.

They already proved they can hang with some of the best teams in the league, and they still don't know what they don't know. There's a ton to learn, and they're poised to do it all together. With playmakers all over the floor, you can't key in on Victor Wembanyama as you'd prefer. It's all coming together in the best way possible, and the Silver and Black have the right man at the helm to steer it all.