The Spurs are about to spend a lot more time in the spotlight, and that might be exactly what De’Aaron Fox needs.
San Antonio is slated for 34 nationally televised games next season, a sharp jump from the 22 it had on the schedule last year. That increase says plenty about how far the franchise has come in the Victor Wembanyama era. It also hands Fox a stage big enough to reshape the conversation around him.
That conversation got louder after the back half of the playoffs. Fox had some strong stretches, but he did not consistently look like an All-Star. His scoring and efficiency fell off, and a few rough late-game decisions in the NBA Finals only added to the damage to his reputation.
Now the pressure shifts to what comes next. Next season is about Fox repairing his image and reminding people why he’s a two-time All-Star.
Nobody needs convincing that he’s talented. The question is whether he can answer after a rough showing on the biggest stage of his career.
The extra national TV exposure gives him that chance. If Fox delivers in those 34 games, especially in matchups against Oklahoma City, New York and Minnesota, he can start turning the narrative back in his favor.
His value in San Antonio shouldn’t get lost in the noise, either. Even if his numbers didn’t stack up neatly with other elite Western Conference guards like Luka Doncic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he still played a major role in the Spurs’ rise. His shot creation and ball-handling were a big part of why the team became a contender.
That’s why the criticism cuts both ways. Fox can be held to account for the postseason struggles, but his overall impact on the Spurs was real. The problem is that the doubters have been louder than the believers lately.
The fix starts with efficiency. Fox doesn’t need to turn into a 20-point-per-game machine, but he does need to get back to hitting shots at all three levels. That alone would change plenty for San Antonio.
He also has to be there when the game tightens up. Whether he’s running the offense or working alongside Stephon Castle or Dylan Harper, Fox has to be the dependable scorer the Spurs can trust late in big games. That was a major reason San Antonio brought him in.
It’s too soon to write him off. Players hit rough patches.
What matters is how they respond. For Fox, next season is his chance to do exactly that.
In Other News...
Spurs Have A Real Reason To Watch OKCs Latest Power Play
Oklahoma City keeps finding ways to make life harder on the rest of the Western Conference, and San Antonio has a legitimate reason to pay attention. The Thunders latest move was a two-year, $12 million offer sheet for restricted free agent Spencer Jones, another aggressive swing from a front office that has spent the summer squeezing value out of every angle while piling up future draft leverage.
The ripple effects matter far beyond Denver, where Oklahoma Citys maneuvering has already touched the Nuggets roster and tax situation. Spurs fans should have their eyes on the Thunders broader web of deals too, because Oklahoma Citys transactions with Atlanta can chip away at San Antonios own draft outlook through a swap on the Hawks 2026 first-round pick, a small but meaningful wrinkle in a conference race built as much on asset management as wins and losses. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Rookies Bring One Immediate Frontcourt Question Into Focus
The Spurs latest draft haul only sharpened the conversation around a frontcourt that already looked different after a run to the NBA Finals. San Antonio used two first-round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft to add Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr., giving the group another layer of size around Victor Wembanyama, Luke Kornet and Tobias Harris as the team tries to keep building on its momentum.
Both rookies fit the Spurs long-term need for more depth and physicality inside, but their paths to that role are not identical. Quaintance arrives as a promising piece with a delayed start to his rookie year, while Reed is positioned to make a quicker case for minutes, leaving the Spurs with an immediate question about how quickly this new mix can settle into place. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs May Have Found A Sneaky Move That Matters In June
San Antonio added a familiar kind of veteran insurance in Tobias Harris, a 15-year NBA veteran whose presence should give the Spurs a sturdier look in the frontcourt. The move is aimed at strengthening the power forward rotation and adding another option who can score and handle different lineup combinations, a useful trait for a team still sorting out its depth.
For the Spurs, the appeal is less about changing the top of the roster and more about finding dependable minutes when the second unit comes in. Harris brings the kind of bench scoring and versatility that can settle a game when the offense stalls, and the hope in San Antonio is that a seemingly modest addition now could pay off when the margins get tighter later in the season. [Read more 🡒]