Chris Paul lines up against Victor Wembanyama in scrimmage, seemingly hinting at bench role on Spurs
Training camp started for the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, with veteran Chris Paul seen lining up opposite big man Victor Wembanyama in scrimmage, hinting at a possible role for the former off the bench.
In a video posted on X by NBA Central, 'CP3' can be seen leading the light-colored shirt team against the dark-colored squad of 'Wemby' during scrimmage on the first day of training camp.
While the Spurs have yet to issue a formal word on how they intend to use Chris Paul in the 2024-25 NBA season, traditionally, starters play on the same team during practices against auxiliaries. Wembanyama, the reigning league rookie of the year, is undeniably a starter in the Alamo. Meanwhile, Paul playing on the opposite side leaves his role for the upcoming season open for interpretation.
Check out the video below:
But regardless of whether he starts or comes off the bench, Chris Paul was brought in to provide leadership to a young Spurs squad as seen in the video, where he was spotted talking to the towering Wembanyama, providing pointers while on a break.
12-time NBA All-Star Paul, 39, signed a one-year, $10.5-million deal to play for San Antonio in the upcoming season. He is coming off a stint with the Golden State Warriors last year, where he played in 58 games and averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 26 minutes of play.
Chris Paul looking to bring competitiveness to young Spurs
Chris Paul is looking to instill a competitive mindset as well as leadership in his tour of duty with the San Antonio Spurs for the 2024-25 NBA season.
The future Basketball Hall-of-Famer decided to join the Spurs in the offseason to help a young squad, led by Victor Wembanyama, to find their identity and work its way to steady competitiveness.
Paul spoke about what he wants to accomplish in San Antonio during media day, saying (via the Associated Press):
"I think the biggest thing that I hope I can bring to this team is the competitiveness. We talk about it all the time. Playing hard is a talent, but it's not enough. This team here has already shown the ability to play hard and to compete night in and night out, but now we've got to figure out how to translate that to wins."
With the Spurs, Paul joins a team who is out to improve on its 22-60 record last season.
Despite its struggles, San Antonio has undoubtedly found a formidable cornerstone in Wembanyama, who had a stellar rookie season after producing norms of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks (league-high) and 1.2 steals in 71 games.
Apart from Paul, the Spurs also brought in Harrison Barnes from the Sacramento Kings for leadership and championship experience from his time with the Golden State Warriors.