Chris Paul recently completed his 20th season in the NBA, and though he’s no longer the All-Star-caliber player he once was, he still has a lot to offer teams. Paul is one of the last true point guards left, a passing savant, and his mentorship helped San Antonio Spurs teammate Stephon Castle win the Rookie of the Year award. He also played in all 82 games for the first time in his illustrious career.
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Paul is set to be a free agent, which means he’s no guarantee to return to San Antonio for another season. On the latest episode of KG Certified, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were asked which young player they’d like to see him mentor.
Garnett was first to respond, and he gave his answer as only he can. Funny enough, it was Garnett that initially suggested the Spurs target the former fourth overall pick last offseason. This time around, he picked a different team in need of leadership and veteran presence.
“In a perfect world, I would love to see if LaMelo Ball could be under Chris Paul,” KG said. “LaMelo got so much rawness to him, that I think that if Chris Paul went under the hood and tightened up the bolt here and then put the carburetor on that m*****f*****, then [makes vroom vroom noises], you know what I’m saying?”
LaMelo is a great candidate to be mentored by CP3, because he’s had free reign to do whatever he wants since being drafted by Charlotte in 2020. That’s resulted in some gaudy counting stats but not a lot of wins for the Hornets. In fact, while their record is over three times better with Ball playing, they are still decidedly below 500 with him in the lineup.
Garnet also suggested Ja Morant as someone who could benefit from Paul’s knowledge. The Grizzlies have tried this with Tyus Jones and Derrick Rose, but Paul has much more cache. Ja has all the talent in the world but hasn’t fully harnessed all his powers yet. He could show the Grizzlies star the finer points of what it takes to stay healthy and excel deep into May.
Chris Paul is a sneaky important free agent to watch this summer
All eyes will be on Giannis Antetokounmpo to see if the Bucks star is traded this summer. There could also be some interesting free agents, including Myles Turner, Julius Randle, Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Paul won’t receive as much money or as much buzz as those guys, but he could be a vital addition to a young team looking to take the next step.
As a former respected veteran himself, Garnett understands what Paul can bring to a team. “I think if you put some greatness to these young guards who already seein’ it how they see it, and then they take a little piece of a Chris Paul who’s gonna show them how to cut angles and change up pace. [Ball and Morant] stick out to me because those are real point guards that can score the ball.”
Pierce suggested LaMelo’s brother Lonzo as another candidate that could benefit from playing with the Point God. Lonzo returned to the Bulls this year after missing over 2.5 seasons with a string of knee injuries. He’s under contract for two more years. If Paul went to Chicago, he could also help guards Coby White and Josh Giddey if he returns after a career year.
Pierce likes Lonzo so much that he wants to see him get out of that crowded backcourt and onto a team like Denver that could make better use of his talents. Having a guy with his natural passing ability paired with Nikola Jokic could be a potent combination, for sure.
Whether Paul ends up with LaMelo, Ja, Lonzo, or some other young point guard, he’s sure to have a positive impact on their career development. NBA free agency begins on June 30 and is always a blast to cover. With so many transactions expected to come, the summer should be eventful to say the least.
