Has San Antonio Spurs experiment with Chris Paul been successful?

Last season, the Spurs were in desperate need of veteran leadership, and everyone, including the players, knew it. San Antonio responded by bringing in Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes. These were a couple of guys known for their astuteness and experience in the league after finding themselves on different teams across the league.

Barnes has been more than fans have expected. He's been a great example for the young players, giving them guidance and showing what it takes to be a pro in the NBA. His on-court play has been sensational. The former Kings forward is the best three-point shooter on the team at 41.4% and has showcased a versatile offensive package more dynamic than many realized he possessed.

Paul has also helped San Antonio in more ways than one. He's helped implement a mentality of expectation and confidence, believing they should win every game. They were winning at a 50% clip in 2024 and played much better at the end of games in clutch situations. But everything has changed in 2025, and with Victor Wembanyama out, it's time to take a look at the move again.

Did Chris Paul Magic run out for the Spurs?

Peter O'Keefe over at Blue Man Hoop spoke about the life Jimmy Butler has injected into the Golden State Warriors team since his arrival. But it wasn't just about his production, because Butler hasn't had any elite scoring performances. He's steadied the team and helped orchestrate the game for the second unit, helping them flourish in a way they weren't able to before the trade that brought him there.

That's what they wanted and didn't get much of from Chris Paul. That's something similar to what the Spurs were expecting. It was exactly what was happening before the calendar turned. The schedule got a little tougher, and the wheels fell off.

San Antonio was in a position to win many of those games but could never maintain a high level of play throughout the entire game. There were more than a few collapses, reminiscent of last year's struggles. Isn't that what you brought CP3 in to stop from happening?

Now, as Peter mentions, it's unfair to believe Paul and Butler would be able to provide a similar production, but that's not what fans were expecting. But let me tell you what was expected: slightly better shooting, fewer turnovers, and fewer mistakes in crunch time. They haven't really gotten that in the last two months.

San Antonio was shooting 35% from the three-point line as a team before Wembanyama's injury. That number was at 34.7% last season (not a great improvement). Chris Paul shot 37.5% and 37.1% in his last two seasons with Golden State and Phoenix, so Spurs fans hoped he could keep shooting to that level, but that number has dropped to 35.4% this year for the 40-year-old Point God.

The turnovers improved, but only slightly, as they've gone from 15.1 (27th) a game to 14.2 (16th). Don't let the movement in the rankings fool you, though. The league is turning the ball over more as a whole. 15.1 lands you at 20th this season. Not to mention, they're 25th in the league in turnovers and 28th in net rating during clutch time.

This team hasn't performed as well as it could have for several reasons, and they're not all Chris Paul's fault. He couldn't have predicted the injuries or the situation with Coach Popovich. But we hoped that a few of the ugly things we saw from the team this year would be alleviated by his presence as the season progressed.

In the long run, the improved mentality could be enough to count this as a successful experiment, but we won't know for sure until we know for sure. That requires patience. Remember, the value of what he brought to OKC wasn't in the success they had that season; it's what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the others evolved into as a result. We'll see if SA's players experience a similar trajectory.