De’Aaron Fox’s ankle injury has become the easy explanation for what went wrong, but that story starts to fall apart once you look at the games before Ayo Dosunmu crashed into his lower leg in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
That matters, because the debate around Fox in Spurs Nation has mostly centered on the NBA Finals and the uneven showing that followed. The ankle absolutely belongs in the conversation.
Ignoring it would be unfair. But it also can’t be the whole conversation, because the numbers were already pointing in an uncomfortable direction before the injury ever happened.
Through San Antonio’s first nine playoff games, Fox was putting up 19 points a night while shooting 44% from the field, 26% from three, and 51% at the line. For a player the Spurs traded for expecting a major offensive lift, that’s not the kind of production they had in mind.
Yes, his field-goal percentage was technically better than the 42% he posted in his only playoff run before arriving in San Antonio, a seven-game series against the Warriors. But the setup was different this time, and in theory it should have been easier.
Fox no longer has to be the entire engine. Victor Wembanyama is taking the most shots, and Stephon Castle is handling the initial creation, which should leave Fox to attack defenses that are already reacting. Instead, he wasn’t taking enough advantage of that setup even before the ankle sprain.
That’s what makes the issue so frustrating. This should have been the most favorable playoff environment of his career, and the results still didn’t match the opportunity.
The shot quality was there. The production wasn’t.
Nearly 54% of Fox’s attempts were classified as open or wide open, but he made only 39% of those shots. That points to a Spurs offense doing its part. If a former 25-point-per-game scorer is getting clean looks more than half the time, the system is creating something workable.
Fox was getting those chances in a variety of ways, from pull-ups in the short to midrange area to catch-and-shoot looks. The diet was solid.
The role was different. But the ball just wasn’t going in often enough.
And that’s where the problem gets tougher to solve. San Antonio’s coaches and teammates have already done the heavy lifting of creating good looks. The next step belongs to Fox.
If you want the optimistic read, it’s that the Spurs don’t need to tear anything up. They generated quality opportunities for him throughout the playoffs, and there’s no reason that part can’t continue. The bigger question is whether Fox can turn those chances into the best version of himself in May and June, not just from October through April.
In Other News...
Chris Paul Still Cannot Believe What Wemby Went Through Before Spurs
Chris Paul spent part of his time in San Antonio doing more than just helping the Spurs on the floor. As a veteran voice in the locker room, he also served as a mentor for younger players, including Victor Wembanyama, and one of the most striking parts of that relationship was learning how different the French stars path to the NBA really was. Paul talked about the contrast between the American high school-to-college pipeline and the European academy system, where basketball development is built around a very different structure.
Wembanyama came up through that route in France with Nanterre 92s academy, which is a long way from the familiar U.S. model most NBA players know. For Paul, the broader lesson was less about basketball skill than about perspective, because Wembanyamas upbringing reflected a level of independence and a developmental track that simply does not exist for most young American prospects. [Read more 🡒]
Bleacher Report Ranking Spurs Sixth Is A Massive Snub
Bleacher Reports latest look at NBA starting fives gave the Spurs a spot that feels a little light for a team coming off a Western Conference title run. Even with the offseason shuffle around the league, San Antonios case is built on something a lot of contenders still have to prove: continuity. The group already knows how to play together, and compared with some of the teams slotted ahead of it, theres a strong argument that chemistry and health give the Spurs a cleaner foundation.
San Antonio also has a lineup that may not stay fixed for long, which only adds to the intrigue. Dylan Harper and Tobias Harris are both names to keep in mind as the season unfolds, and the Spurs have enough flexibility that performance could change the look of the starting five before long. For now, though, the bigger question is whether a team that just won the West really belongs chasing respect rather than setting the standard. [Read more 🡒]
The Spurs Are Becoming The Playoff Team Nobody Wants
The Spurs are starting to look like the kind of playoff opponent nobody in the West wants to see, because the roster gives them more than one way to beat you. Victor Wembanyama is already the obvious problem, a 7-foot-4 rim protector whose presence can warp a game plan, but the larger issue is how San Antonio can keep changing the terms of the matchup from one night to the next.
If teams load up on Wembanyama, the Spurs have downhill answers in Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, and if the series turns into a more physical grind, they can lean on size and depth with Luke Kornet, Tarris Reed Jr. and eventually Jayden Quaintance. That flexibility is what makes them so awkward to prepare for, because they can survive a defensive slog or turn it into a faster, more open game without giving opponents much comfort either way. [Read more 🡒]