Spurs start slow, come back to beat the Magic in Chris Paul’s debut

Paul and Wembanyama looked rusty in their preseason debuts but still managed to create some highlights.

Chris Paul made his preseason debut with the Spurs in a 107-97 win over the Magic, a game in which it was evident both teams are early in the process of getting ready for the regular season. Stephon Castle led San Antonio in scoring with 17 while Jett Howard poured in 19 for Orlando.

The first look at the Spurs with Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul didn’t start off impressively, as an understandable lack of cohesion on defense and familiar spacing issues hamstrung the Silver and Black for the first few minutes. It was a typical preseason game in which some players struggled with focus and energy and the more experienced Magic took advantage of the questionable effort from the home team to get a lead. Orlando dominated the paint and the offensive glass, with Goga Bitadze leading the way. As the second units checked in, the lack of a scoring punch caused by the absences of Keldon Johnson and Tre Jones became an issue while the visitors chugged along. After the first 12 minutes, the Spurs were down 14 after being thoroughly outplayed.

The issues with the defense continued in the second period, as San Antonio looked completely lost, whether on zone or man. The energy, however, was better and Paul and Wemby started to showcase more synergy, which quickly spread to the rest of the team. The stars played better, but the second unit plus Jeremy Sochan really changed things for the Spurs by upping the physicality. All the young guards showed off their skills, Sandro Mamukelashvili kept the ball moving and Sochan was everywhere for a stretch, being disruptive on defense and aggressive on offense. The Magic held on to their lead at all times, but the Silver and Black clawed their way back to striking distance and remained there, heading into the break down seven.

As it tends to happen with preseason games, the second half wasn’t as interesting as the first simply because teams sit players. The Magic had Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs out of their lineup to start the third quarter while the Spurs only gave Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama a few minutes before taking them out. In that stretch, Wemby dominated inside with a couple of blocks and Paul proved he can not only pass but also score in the pick-and-roll, but there wasn’t enough time for either to shine. Once they checked out, the Stephon Castle show started, with the rookie looking like a veteran by not just putting points on the board but making the right play most of the time. After a sloppy but entertaining third frame, the game was tied at 79.

The fourth quarter was there for the players on the edges of both rosters to try to show enough to secure a contract. Riley Minix had his moments. So did Brandon Boston Jr and Malachi Flynn. Former lottery pick Jarret Culver got minutes for the Magic and so did two-time dunk contest winner Mac McClung. In the end, the Spurs dominated the last period and won by 10, but by that point, the game was more about giving everyone some minutes than securing a win.

Play of the game

The first of many.

Game notes

• Keldon Johnson and Tre Jones were out resting. Zach Collins, Charles Bassey, David Duke Jr., Devin Vassell and Nathan Mensah were also out.
• Everyone watching the game wanted to see how Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama played together. They were fine. It’s their first time sharing the court and Wemby was clearly not taking the game super seriously, making plenty of questionable decisions that he won’t make in a regular season game. Aside from the lob and that solid stretch early in the third quarter, there was nothing too impressive about the duo, but that’s understandable this early in the process.
• Steph Castle led the team in scoring and was impressive on both ends. The scoring is great, but his physicality is what stands out the most. Castle had 10 free throws and was hounding guards on the defensive end. One of the issues last season with the Spurs was the lackadaisical play that lasted for long stretches. Castle being in the rotation could solve that, because he always seems to be in attack mode.
• Speaking of physicality, Jeremy Sochan was great at bringing contagious energy on the defensive end. Sochan’s ceiling will be determined by whether he can become an outside threat, but he affects the game in a lot of other positive ways already that often make up for the spacing issues he causes.
• Harrison Barnes had another quiet game. It’s not something to be worried about, since he’s playing a small role and veterans don’t always go all out during preseason, but if Julian Champagnie, who connected on half of his six three-point attempts and showed hustle, continues to outplay Barnes, he could make a case for himself as the second starting forward next to Sochan.
• Another player making a case for a bigger role? Sandro Mamukelashvili. After joking with the reporter who asked what Mamu would need to do to earn minutes (”Are you his agent?”) Pop said his three-point shot is the biggest factor. Mamukelashvili made three three-pointers in both preseason games so far, so he’s definitely doing his part.
• Malaki Branham couldn’t hit his shots, which is a big issue because he mostly brings scoring to the table. Blake Wesley, on the other hand, did a lot, especially on defense, to be excited about, which negates his misses from outside to a degree. Both young guards had good stretches but still need more consistency.

Next game: vs. Utah Jazz on Saturday

The Spurs will host the Jazz over the weekend. Who will be available? Who knows. But both teams have a lot of exciting young talent, so it should be a fun matchup.