When the San Antonio Spurs signed Chris Paul as a free agent this summer, everyone knew it would only be for a single season. Paul made it clear in his introductory press conference that he wanted to play winning, meaningful basketball, and likely had success next to Victor Wembanyama in mind.
However, Wembanyama was shut down for the season over the All-Star Break thanks to a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis in his shoulder, effectively ending any hope the Spurs had of making the postseason.
With little to play for, the Spurs have handed the reigns to rookie Stephon Castle, allowing him to develop as a playmaker. As a result, Paul went from averaging 29.1 minutes per game and 9.2 points to 25.3 minutes and 7.5 points, but he seems to have taken it in stride.
The Spurs are preparing for next season when the all-time great playmaker won't be in the lineup. De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle should be ready to help lead a playoff charge once Wembanyama is back, but for now, key depth pieces are enjoying the vast mentorship Paul offers.
In recent games, Blake Wesley, who was buried on the depth chart for most of the season, has been given more chance than usual.
He quickly fell out of Mitch Johnson's rotations and up until recently only ever got to appear in garage time. However, he has played double-digit minutes in each of the last four games.
"I talk to Blake a lot," said Chris Paul after the Spurs beat the New York Knicks. "We got a lot of guys who are playing a lot of minutes, they probably hadn't played most of the season, but opportunity is everything. Just also I try to tell the guys that playing hard is a talent, I think people take that for granted. Blake's ability to pick the ball up full court every time they missed or made it, he pushed the ball up the court."
Against the Knicks, Wesley only scored six points, but he added three steals and three assists. In his last four games, he is averaging 5.8 points, three assists, and 1.8 steals.
Between Fox, Castle, and Wesley, the Spurs should have a very good defensive backcourt next season.
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"I thought Blake Wesley would be the one we'd be talking about for a lot of this time, except Sandro had the game he had," said Johnson. "Blake was ridiculous defensively, he had two stretches in both halves."
Between Sandro Mamukelashvili, Julian Champagnie, and Wesley, the Spurs have more than their fair share of "spark plugs" off the bench who can provide a lot in very little time, and keeping them around long-term to round out a solid roster makes sense moving forward.
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This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 11:42 AM.