Chris Paul may have been talking about why super teams stumble, but his explanation also points straight at why the Spurs believe theirs can actually work.
Paul sat down with retired NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and laid out the part of team-building that gets overlooked when people chase multiple stars. The key, he said, is getting everyone to buy into a clear structure.
"It's because role players are important, very important-people who know their role. Like when you watch OKC play right now.
Guys got injured, but everybody [tries] to star in their role. They know Shai is the guy.
Everybody knows that."
That idea goes beyond just having talent. A team needs a hierarchy, and everybody on the roster has to understand where they fit. The co-stars have to accept their place, and the role players have to embrace theirs without hesitation.
"Everybody tries to star in their role."
That doesn’t always mean standing in the corner and firing away from deep, even if that’s the assignment. It means doing whatever is asked as well as possible, from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
Play hard. Be available.
Improve the jumper. Cut with purpose.
Share the ball. The best teams have stars who understand they need help just as much as the supporting cast needs a centerpiece.
The examples are easy to find. Ray Allen and Shane Battier fit around LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston did their jobs around Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant in Golden State.
The teams that try to shortcut the process usually run into trouble. Brooklyn’s attempt to combine Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden didn’t deliver.
Neither did the pairing of Harden with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Durant also came up short again in Phoenix alongside Bradley Beal and Devin Booker.
That’s why the Spurs’ approach stands out. They’re not trying to buy the finished product. They’re building around Victor Wembanyama from the ground up, the same broad idea the Thunder used around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
San Antonio, though, has something OKC doesn’t: multiple homegrown stars around the center of the whole thing. Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper both project to be bona fide superstars in this league. If things break a certain way, Fox could still be there too, giving the Spurs an All-Star-level third piece.
None of that happens by accident. The Spurs were patient with their moves, trusted their scouting and development staff, and now they’re seeing the payoff. Most of the supporting cast was drafted and developed as well, which makes the whole operation cleaner.
When everybody comes up together, the roles are easier to define. The trust is already there.
The chemistry is already there. That kind of acceptance doesn’t have to be manufactured later because it was built in from the start.
So yes, Chris Paul was right. Championship teams need players who know how to star in their roles. The Spurs just took the path that makes that easier to pull off.
In Other News...
Shaq Just Put The Spurs In A Different Conversation
Shaquille ONeal has a way of turning a conversation about the Spurs into something bigger, and he did it again at Fanatics Fest. ONeal voiced real confidence in Victor Wembanyama and San Antonios direction, framing the young star as the kind of rare, versatile big man who can lift a franchise back into championship territory.
The more interesting part is where ONeal sees the path getting difficult. He pointed to the Oklahoma City Thunder as the Spurs most likely hurdle in the Western Conference, but still sounded convinced San Antonio can get through it if Wembanyama keeps taking over games. For a team still building around its centerpiece, that kind of belief from a Hall of Fame center says plenty about how far the Spurs have already come in the leagues eyes. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Believe Wembanyama May Be One Change From Offensive Takeoff
San Antonios offense has spent plenty of time looking for easier answers than the ones that come from the perimeter, and the middle of the floor may be where the next step starts. The Spurs added Tobias Harris, whose comfort in the mid-range gives them another veteran option in the spots where defenses have to make quick decisions, and that fits neatly with a broader push to make the offense less predictable.
Victor Wembanyama is the real swing piece, though, because the Spurs believe his path to a bigger leap could come from developing in the same areas. If he can become a threat from the free-throw line and the elbows, it changes the geometry of everything around him and gives San Antonio a more versatile way to attack. The idea is simple enough, even if the payoff still has to be earned on the floor. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Rookie Dylan Harper Is Already Becoming A Huge Collector Name
Dylan Harpers rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs has already pushed him into a different kind of spotlight, one that follows players off the court and into the hobby. The first-round buzz around his cards has been building quickly, and that momentum will be on display Friday when Harper makes his first appearance at the National Sports Collectors Convention, joining an eBay Live break with seller Blez.
Harper is not the only name from the family showing up in Chicago. Ron Harper Sr. is set for a Saturday eBay Live stream tied to Michael Jordan collectibles, adding another layer to a weekend that already has plenty of collector intrigue around the Spurs rookie. For a player whose cards have become a hot item so early, the convention is the latest reminder that his market is moving almost as fast as his basketball profile. [Read more 🡒]