Any conversations about the San Antonio Spurs start with Victor Wembanyama. The 7’5 phenom has put up some literally unbelievable performances over his first few NBA seasons. The good news for the team is that their All-Star point guard is returning.
Injuries cut the first year of the De’Aaron Fox experiment in San Antonio a bit short. Even still, he inked a long-term extension in the offseason, committing to this franchise at the first possible opportunity. And on Saturday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, Fox will take the court for the first time this season.
Not long after they received the unfortunate news that rookie No. 2 pick Dylan Harper would be missing time, they get their veteran back. So while not at full strength, the Spurs can now see how things will run when their top PG is out there.
De’Aaron Fox Ready to Shine
Despite being short-handed, the Spurs have already been playing very good basketball to begin the season. They are coming off an 11-point win on Friday night over the Houston Rockets. Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie each hit six triples, while Stephon Castle dished out 13 assists in his double-double.
And now, San Antonio is adding a guard to their lineup who averaged 23 or more points in each of the past four seasons. De’Aaron Fox is valuable as both a scorer, and being a push-the-pace player. He has been considered by some as the league’s fastest, looking like a literal gazelle as he sprints up and down the floor at times.
Most pundits around the league have remained high on Fox (see below). It’s hard to find much to dislike with the offensive production of the former Kentucky star. When you are the only player in Sacramento Kings history to score 60 points in a game, there is a level of street cred you possess.
With teams slowly starting to figure out how to stop Wembanyama, the return is coming at an ideal time. That San Antonio was able to 6-2 in his absence is nothing short of incredible.
And now, it’s time for the Fox/Wemby show to really start.
San Antonio Spurs As Dangerous As Ever
A fully healthy San Antonio Spurs team is one that can genuinely compete with any team in the West. The combination of youth and veterans has blended perfectly, with contributions coming in from everybody on the roster.
De’Aaron Fox will be making his debut in the ninth game of the year, but they also didn’t have Jeremy Sochan or Kelly Olynyk for the first six contests of the year. Players are coming back and it seems that they are fitting in right off the bat. When Harper returns, they’ll know just how deep they are.
Fox has provided some serious scoring over the last few years. And in addition to that, he’s been one of the best clutch scorers in the league. You don’t just win the NBA’s inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award by accident.
The Kings were one of the toughest teams to stop in crunch time situations.
Even while being slowed down, Victor Wembanyama is averaging 25 and 12 a night while making 50% of his shots. The alien is blocking nearly four shots per night and altering countless others.
Batman is finally going to have his true Robin out there with him. Wemby and Fox. The 1-2 punch of the future for the Spurs. Watch out, NBA.
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