The San Antonio Spurs traded for De’Aaron Fox last season to add a veteran point guard to their young core and give Victor Wembanyama more scoring support. Fox has been able to fill that scoring role, while also being a veteran presence for a young San Antonio team, so the return on the investment has been positive so far.
However, the Spurs did also draft Dylan Harper with the second pick last June, which has shown to be the right decision as he has shown the potential he has. This includes his masterful 27-point performance in game three without Wembanyama, giving San Antonio a 2-1 series lead.
Stephon Castle has also had a stellar series against the Blazers, which has made both him and Harper the talk of postseason guard play so far. However, Fox’s steady performance this playoffs cannot be ignored.
De’Aaron Fox playing at this level for San Antonio increases their championship odds and secures his long-term future.
That line may sound silly, given that the Spurs inked Fox to a four-year contract extension last August, but one thing that the NBA has shown us is that things can change in an instant. No one is safe.
So far, Fox has been quietly very good for San Antonio. He is averaging 20 points per game, four rebounds, and six assists on 48 percent shooting and 36 percent from three-point range. He was spectacular in the game four win, as he scored 28 big points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out seven assists, and knocked down four three-pointers.
He also scored 18 of his 28 in the second half, a key reason why the Spurs were able to run away from the Blazers and win the game by 21 points.
Fox has to continue playing at this level for San Antonio. While Castle and Harper have been great, Fox is the most experienced of the trio, and they need him to be a steady scoring option next to Wembanyama for this series and beyond.
He also needs to continue his solid jump-shooting, something that was up and down during the regular season. It spaces the floor for San Antonio and forces Portland to extend its defense, as they are at their best when they can pack the paint, protect the rim, and crash the glass. If the Spurs can keep knocking down shots, Fox included, that makes things tougher for the Blazers.
So far, Fox has been exactly what San Antonio thought he could be. He needs to continue this level of play and if he does, not only do the Spurs’ championship odds increase, but his place within this core only becomes more secure as well.
Add us as a preferred source on Google