Inside The Spurs

Spurs Starter, Monday, August 26, 2024: Kevin Garnett Speaks On Chris Paul, Victor Wembanyama Partnership

Your daily briefing on what's going on with the San Antonio Spurs, including news, draft & more.

Matt Guzman

Sep 30, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Former basketball star Kevin Garnett on hand for the Colorado Buffaloes USC Trojans football game at Folsom Field.
Sep 30, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Former basketball star Kevin Garnett on hand for the Colorado Buffaloes USC Trojans football game at Folsom Field. / John Leyba-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Happy Monday, Por Vida fans! Welcome to your morning Spurs Starter.

While most of the attention surrounding the San Antonio Spurs next season will focus on how well Victor Wembanyama will look in his second season, the product that eventually shines on the court will be refined behind the scenes, most notably by Gregg Popovich and Chris Paul.

The latter, especially, raises plenty of questions. Being as experienced as he is, the point guard certainly has plenty to distill on Wembanyama, but just how helpful he'll end up being remains to be seen. One NBA legend in particular, however, is sold on the unique pairing.

READ MORE: Chris Paul Understands Expectations, Knows What He Wants With Spurs

"Last year, he didn't get any easy baskets," former Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Garnett said on a recent podcast appearance. "Playing with Chris Paul, he's going to get some easier baskets. Look for San Antonio to be more organized."

To Garnett's point, Paul will play a mentor role in San Antonio, but also work on organizing the offense as a whole. With Stephon Castle in the mix, too, he stands as one of the young squad's top assets in multiple ways. And if "the Big Ticket" is right, that could result in some major developments.

And some major highlights.

Now, here are the headlines:

THE NEWS

1. READ: CHRIS PAUL'S WEMBANYAMA PRAISE TESTAMENT TO EARLY CHEMISTRY

San Antonio Spurs veteran Chris Paul was extremely complimentary of Victor Wembanyama — excited at the prospect of putting on the same uniform as the standout rookie, and, to put it simply, not having to go against him.

Read the full story at the link above.

2. WATCH: SPURS' SCHEDULE REVEALED ON 'THE JOE GAITHER SHOW'

This week's edition of "The Joe Gaither Show" features Matt Guzman and Joe Gaither wrapping up the Olympics, the Spurs' 2024-25 schedule and this year's NBA Cup.

Watch the full episode below:

3. READ: 5 MOST NOTABLE NATIONAL TV GAMES FOR SPURS IN 2024-25

Victor Wembanyama & Co. are bringing nationwide attention to the San Antonio Spurs that hasn’t been seen in a decade — but a few of the many games in front of a national audience are especially notable.

Read the full story at the link above.

THE DRAFT

Now that the 2024 NBA Draft is over, you can check out the newest Spurs and what they might bring to the team next season and down the road. Below are the some stories about the rookies selected:

Round 1, Pick No. 4: Stephon Castle

Round 2, Pick No. 36: Juan Núñez

Round 2, Pick No. 48: Harrison Ingram

THE SCHEDULE

There are 57 days until opening night of the 2024-25 NBA season, but the San Antonio Spurs have more to look forward to prior to that. The regular season schedule will be released at 2 p.m. Central, but the entire preseason schedule, the NBA Cup slate and the Christmas Day schedule has.

Below is a list of dates and start times (all in CST) for all relevant Spurs games:

San Antonio Spurs Preseason

Oct. 7: Home vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Tipoff 7 p.m.)
Oct. 9: Home vs. Orlando Magic (Tipoff 7 p.m.)
Oct. 12: Home vs. Utah Jazz (Tipoff 7 p.m.)

Oct. 15: Away at Miami Heat (Tipoff 6:30 p.m.)
Oct. 17: Away at Houston Rockets (Tipoff 7 p.m.)

San Antonio Spurs Regular Season Schedule

Oct. 24: Season Opener at Dallas Mavericks
Oct. 26: Home opener vs. Houston Rockets

Nov. 15: Group Play Begins vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Dec. 10: NBA Cup Knockout Rounds Begin
Dec. 25: MSG Christmas at New York Knicks

Dec. 31: New Year's vs. LA Clippers

Jan. 23-25: Paris Games vs. Indiana Pacers

Feb. 3: Rodeo Road Trip Begins at Memphis Grizzlies

Feb. 14-16: All-Star Break

Feb. 20: Spurs Get Moody vs. Phoenix Suns
Feb. 21: Spurs Get Moody vs. Detroit Pistons

March 21: Longest Home Stand Ends vs. Philadelphia 76ers

April 6: Final Road Trip Begins at Portland Trail Blazers
April 13: Final Home Game vs. Toronto Raptors

AROUND THE NBA

Catch up on some of the league-wide headlines below:

Also, be sure to follow along with Spurs On SI's NBA tracker, with more detailed breakdowns of major league news and updates.

THE CLOSER

Check out our homepage for more news and follow us on the platforms below. Thank you for tuning in and enjoy the rest of your Monday.

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Matt Guzman

MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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