It is safe to say that the “race for seis” is officially on.
As Greg Popovich prepares to sign a five-year contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs, the 74-year-old now finds himself the highest-paid coach in the NBA. For the next half-decade, Popovich will continue to coach as well as run the franchise as the Spurs’ president of basketball operations.
While his method of coaching has certainly been questioned over the past couple of seasons, there is no doubt that Popovich provides the Spurs with the best opportunity to win an NBA championship.
Throughout his 27 coaching seasons, Popovich has remained pivotal in the organization’s overall success.
His five championships, along with 1,364 career wins, have made him one of the greatest coaches in league history. While his coaching ability is undoubtedly great, his ability to develop and lead young talent makes him so valuable to the Spurs franchise. Whether it be Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard or Dejounte Murray, coach Pop has always managed to get the best out of his players.
Surrounded by one of the best young cores in the league, Popovich now looks to develop incoming stars such as Victor Wembanyama and sophomore Jeremy Sochan. Popovich’s aid to these young stars could speed up the growth of San Antonio’s new squad.
In addition to his development capability, Popivich also provides veteran leadership for the young Spurs to follow. With most young teams having at least one veteran player to enact culture and lead, Popovich serves the franchise as the ultimate team leader.
Extending Popovich as the head coach was one of the best moves the Silver and Black could have made this offseason. With a five-year window, Pop is given the time to develop young players, acquire veteran free agents and eventually go into “win now” mode.
