SAN ANTONIO — With a combined 31 years of NBA experience, San Antonio Spurs' Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes are helping shape the young Spurs' player's development as the franchise is in the midst of its rebuild.
And a clear example of this is a teaching moment between Barnes and Keldon Johnson.
With just seconds left in the Spurs' recent matchup against the Utah Jazz, Johnson found himself with a wide-open lane and one thing on his mind: Seal the win for the team with an exclamation dunk!
A dunk would have been sufficient, but after he attacked the basket, he held on to the rim a bit longer and rattled it while yelling in excitement.
Sure, the game was out of reach for Utah, and his dunk sealed the win for San Antonio, but Barnes saw a lesson to give the longest-tenured Spur: Do not ever give the opposition any fuel that can swing the momentum.
Barnes, 32 years old, immediately spoke to him near center court as the final buzzer went off.
"Keldon does that dunk every day in practice," Barnes said. "Then today was the day. Now, he didn't hurt us in that moment specifically, but it was one of those things where you talk about certain things in practice."
Said Barnes: "We don't want to ever be in a situation where let's say, that's in the third quarter, earlier in the fourth, and that happens. They get momentum off that play, and nothing's changed."
That moment is why he and Paul are in San Antonio.
They are the ultimate professionals and bring a no-nonsense approach to the game that the younger players can see and try to emulate as their pro careers unfold.
"It's always going to be good having those guys around. KJ (Keldon Johnson) is a vet now," guard Tre Jones said. "He's been in the league for a while, and there are still things that we often learn just from those guys who have won themselves and have been on winning teams and cultures and things like that."
Fortunately for Jones, he has not been the recipient of Barnes and Paul's talk. He is trying to stay on the "good side of things," but that just reinforces the impact the two vets are having on the squad.
Their presence alone keeps the younger players in line to put their best foot forward, and it's been shown on the court.
The team is riding a three-game win streak, holding on to leads, and showing their mettle with fourth-period rallies to pick up wins.
"Just getting that knowledge from those players, from those teammates, will help us so much throughout the entire season," Jones said.
Barnes has been setting the example lately on the floor with his production and serious approach to games. Over the last three games, he has posted 22.3 points per game, including 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 63% shooting from the field.
Paul's floor leadership, constant communication with players, and game management have been instrumental in the Spur's winning ways. He also does his part on the floor averaging 12.0 points per game, 41% three-point shooting, and 9.7 assists over the last three games.
"It's been amazing. It's made a huge difference already this season. I feel like we're really close, and we're getting closer and closer as a team and as a unit," Jones said. "It's definitely going to continue to grow."
"Everything he (Paul) says is valuable. Him just being another coach on the floor for us, and me, especially to me, it's only it's only helping me," said Stephon Castle.
The season is still young (17 games), and there's plenty of time for the team to experience its ups and downs.
Hopefully, there will be more ups than downs for the young Spurs squad, as the season is already showing.
However, a huge factor has been the two veterans doing precisely what they were brought to San Antonio: bringing a sense of calm on the court, imparting their NBA wisdom, and helping further the younger players' development.
It'll be something that we can continue to pass on to our teammates," Jones added. "Just having those guys be willing to continue to teach and pass down the knowledge they've received over the years and the experiences that they've gone through."
Whether or not Barnes and Paul will stick around for the long term is an open question. It will be some time before the Spurs compete for NBA titles, and they may want to chase a championship before they retire.
However, their NBA know-how will last for a long time in San Antonio, and Jones appreciates everything the veterans have done so far for this rebuild and player development.
"It's been huge for us and it's going to continue to be huge for us for sure."