Paul's arrival at the Spurs was undoubtedly the biggest surprise on the first day of the player market.
And what kind of sparks will be sparked between the 20-year-old Wembanyama and his uncle, who is almost 40 years old, is also reminiscent.
In fact, after almost one season, Wembanyama's epoch-making star talent could not be hidden.
In his rookie year, Wemban played in 71 games, averaging 29.7 minutes per game, with 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals. In addition, he is also the first rookie in NBA history to contribute 1500 points + 250 assists + 250 blocks in a single season.
But Wemban's dazzling individual performance could not lead the Spurs to a breakthrough in the record. In the eyes of most industry insiders, Spurs' development of Wenban's potential is far from enough.
It must be admitted that outside of Wembanyama, the talent of the rest of the Spurs players is relatively mediocre. Last season, the Spurs averaged 29.9 assists per game, which ranked second in the league, and there are athletes like Tre Jones who averaged more than six assists per game. But the Spurs' willingness to cooperate is strong, on the one hand, from Popovich's strict requirements, on the other hand, it also reflects their lack of strong ability. Moreover, many times, the Spurs' cooperation did not accurately find Wenban, wasting a lot of opportunities that could have been easy to score.
But now, Paul's addition promises to disrupt the status quo once and for all. So far in his career, Paul has won the season assist title five times, and has averaged more than 10 assists per game in seven seasons. With the exception of last season, when he was forced to succumb to the Warriors' off-ball system, Paul has been one of the core ball-handlers on any other team he has played for.
Playing for the Hornets early in his career, Paul transformed a team with less talent into a playoff regular; Moving to the Clippers, he activated Griffin and Jordan Jr., giving Los Angeles a new label of the empty city; Joining the Rockets, Paul and Harden together brought the team to a height that was enough to call the Warriors "Galaxy Battleship"; went to the Thunder, Paul revitalized a three-guard system and helped Alexander grow into a future league supergiant; In the Suns, Paul and Booker led the team to the Finals together, almost fulfilling his championship dream, and after the arrival of Durant, he was able to quickly adjust his role, contributing to KD's invincible 8-game winning streak at the beginning of his arrival.
And even last season, Paul switched to the bench to cater to the Warriors' style of play, but his contribution of 6.8 assists per game still ranks 12th in the league in assists.
Now at the age of 39, it seems unrealistic to expect such a fossil veteran to take on the offense and complete the offensive combing and transformation of a lotto team in a short period of time. But you can also make a bold prediction that you can always trust Paul, at least in the passing organization, in the matter of feeding Wemban.
Last season, Wembanyama's impressive performance beyond expectations had already made Popovich realize that the Spurs should not have to waste any more minutes of Wemban's talent. Next season, the Spurs will need to develop Wenban's on-court skills consistently and deeply from Game 1 onwards, and will need to quickly take the young talent's basketball career to new heights. And in order to do that, Wemban's need a court-court mentor, a soulful, insightful partner, and Paul is clearly one of the best fits when it comes to the current NBA talent pool.
It is no wonder that for Paul to join the Spurs, the first feedback in the field of public opinion is almost always positive. There are even predictions that Wembanyama will be eligible to compete for the regular season MVP next season with Paul on the board, and will be a hot candidate for major awards.
Of course, Wembanyama wasn't the only one Paul needed help. As a junior point guard, young Tre Jones and even younger rookie Castle, who was just drafted by the Spurs, will benefit from Paul's addition and get more valuable opportunities to learn from the court's wiseman......
Although Paul may not be able to follow the Spurs' rebuilding process through the whole process, at least at this stage, Paul has a special value in shaping the Spurs' tactical system and helping them become a more mature and competitive team......