What will De’Aaron Fox bring to the Spurs? What problems will he create for opponents? And how good does the speedy point guard make them?
The prodigious Victor Wembanyama finally has his first star teammate.
After weeks of speculation, De’Aaron Fox is now a member of the San Antonio Spurs.
But what exactly will Fox bring to the table? What problems does he create by joining the roster? And how good does the speedy point guard make them right now?
Here’s the good, bad and the bottom line:
The Good
As will be the case for the next decade plus in San Antonio, it all starts with Wembanyama. In the offseason, we emphasized the importance of putting a competent point guard on the floor alongside the prodigious big as much as possible.
To do this, the Spurs went out and added the greybearded Chris Paul. And although The Point God is a shell of his once divine self, the Spurs still have a net rating of plus-8.5 when he shares the court with Wembanyama. Now, just imagine how much higher that net rating is when Wemby can play alongside an All-Star at the peak of his powers rather than a legend trying to recapture his glory days.
Offensively, the tandem will be capable of great feats, as both players rank in the league’s top 40 in offensive DRIP (O-DRIP). However, the real intrigue could be on defense, where the two have the potential to be the best guard/center star duo in the sport.
It’s only Year 2, but Wembanyama has already solidified himself as one of the premier defenders of his generation. He’s currently first in defensive DRIP (D-DRIP), and it would come as a surprise to no one if he was the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Fox’s 2024-25 footprint isn’t nearly as noticeable (minus-0.2 D-DRIP, 48th percentile). However, he could be reenergized defensively joining his reportedly preferred destination in San Antonio. When he is engaged, Fox is one of the best high-usage guard defenders in the association.
Last year, Fox was crowned the steal champion, further justifying his nickname “Swipa,” and he ranked in the 70th percentile in steal rate.
Having your two best players be elite/good on defense gives you a lot more flexibility when it comes to filling out your roster. For example, if you want, you can start a role player who is a weaker defender and just hide them because you know you don’t have to do that with your stars.
More than a worthy partner to the face of the franchise, Fox can also function as a life vest that keeps the team afloat when Wembanyama is on the bench (the Spurs have a net rating of -9.2 when Wemby is off the floor).
A big reason for this is San Antonio’s roster lacks playmakers who can create offense when Wembanyama isn’t there to warp the floor. The Spurs are dead last in unassisted field goal frequency (29.4%), per NBA.com. Fox is one of the best from-scratch initiators you will find – placing in the 95th percentile in this same category.
The Bad
Of course, the Fox fit isn’t as clean as the placement of a circle peg in a round hole. For starters, there is the spacing concerns Fox brings with him.
When we previewed the Spurs in the summer, we emphasized the roster’s lack of shooting. And while the Spurs have taken a surprising number of shots from beyond the arc (sixth in 3-point attempts), they are still struggling to convert on them (22nd in 3-point accuracy).
Fox does nothing to remedy this issue, as he’s shot under 33% from downtown in five of the last six seasons (including this one).
Then, there’s Fox’s looming extension. This year (and next), Fox is only taking up about 24% of the salary cap. However, once he signs the veteran maximum extension the Spurs are sure to give him (they wouldn’t trade for him if they weren’t willing to do that), Fox will take up 30% of their financial resources.
If Fox plays at the All-Star level he was at from 2022-24, you can live with that cap hold. But if he’s closer to the level he’s been at this season (48th in the NBA in DRIP), that pill becomes much harder to swallow.
There’s also the (albeit, minor) question about Fox’s passing vocabulary. Over the last three years, Fox’s roll man was Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis is one of the most skilled bigs in the sport, but he’s not much of a vertical threat (1.2 dunks per 36 minutes).
His jam involved using pristine footwork to finish around the rim – the kind of style that called for pocket passes in the pick-and-roll. With the dunk-tastic Wembanyama (2.3 dunks per 36), Fox will need to throw more lob passes.
Is that something Fox can do? Probably, but we still don’t know for certain.
The Bottom Line
The new Wemby/Fox pairing has some clear synergy, but it also isn’t a match made in heaven.
In the short term, it helps a team that currently sit at 19th in TRACR become a near lock for at least a play-in spot. However, Fox alone doesn’t elevate this team where it needs to be to give Wembanyama a real chance at a title.
Yeah, Fox can be the Tony Parker to Wembanyama’s Tim Duncan. But they still need to find their Manu Ginobili (a secondary creator who can play off the ball), Bruce Bowen (a defensive stopper) and Robert Horry (elite complimentary player).
The Spurs still have some work to do, but they crossed a big one off the list by trading for Fox.
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