Being a respected veteran within the association has its perks. Chris Paulwho has cultivated his brand of “CP3” with great care throughout his career, it is almost necessary that he be able to take this jersey numberregardless of what team he plays for. After signing with the San Antonio SpursHowever, Paul should ask Keldon Johnsonthe owner of the jersey number “3”, to give way.

That’s exactly what Johnson did, giving his new teammate his long-time Spurs shirt number. Now, the 24-year-old forward will be wearing jersey number “0”as revealed on his official Instagram account.

It’s the same jersey number Johnson wore when the Spurs sent him to their G-League affiliate in Austin during his rookie season in 2019-20. For what it’s worth, Johnson played well for Austin and foreshadowed the level of scorer he would eventually become in the NBA, averaging 20.3 points per game on 53.1 percent shooting in 31 games while wearing the number “0.”

Keldon Johnson received flowers from his Spurs teammates for his kind gesture, and they are looking forward to seeing what happens next in his career.

“New Era we are stuck at 0🖤,” Devin Vassell commented on Johnson’s Instagram post.

“Yeah 0,” Tre Jones wrote.

“😈,” Jeremy Sochan said.

“🥷🏽🥷🏽,” Blake Wesley added.

Meanwhile, Johnson’s gesture of giving Chris Paul his Spurs jersey number from day one means Paul will have the same jersey number he’s always had throughout his 18-season NBA career.

From New Orleans to Los Angeles to Houston to Oklahoma City to Phoenix to San Francisco, Paul has had the comfort of wearing the number “3,” which gives him at least some semblance of stability after going through a ton of transitions, and now, it’s the same case as he begins his journey in San Antonio.

Can Spurs take a big step forward in year two of the Victor Wembanyama era?

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The 2023-24 season hasn’t been a disaster for Spurs. Sure, it’s not exactly a promising sign that they only won 22 games last season despite adding one of the league’s best defenders in Victor Wembanyama. But it did show the areas of the ball where they needed a lot of work, and it looks like they’ve managed to get back on their feet. managed to fill these gaps this offseason.

For starters, the point guard situation last season was a disaster. Jeremy Sochan showed he wasn’t a natural playmaker, while Tre Jones, as good and willing as he is, left a lot to be desired on offense. Additionally, the Spurs’ wing depth last season wasn’t great, as they had to rely on Julian Champagnie to start at the three-point line.

They rectified those situations this offseason by signing Chris Paul and acquiring Harrison Barnes in a pay cut. Paul isn’t the player he once was, but he’s making sure the offensive execution is on point. Meanwhile, Barnes gives the Spurs size and scoring on the wing, allowing Keldon Johnson to flourish as a spark plug off the bench.

Improvements from Devin Vassell, Malaki Branham and Sochan are possible given their youth, while Stephon Castle could make an impact from day one thanks to his defense. And with Wembanyama leading the way, those Spurs could make a lot more noise next season, what people expect.

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