De'Aaron Fox has already proven he can carry an offense. The tougher assignment now is different: fit that same scoring punch into a San Antonio Spurs backcourt that suddenly has a lot of mouths to feed.
That means the All-Star guard may need to lean into a role he has not always lived in. With Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle in the mix, Fox taking more off-ball responsibilities could be the cleanest way to keep the Spurs’ three-guard setup humming.
Fox has spent most of his career as a ball-dominant guard, and that approach has worked. In 2023, he helped the Sacramento Kings reach the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. Last season, he was a major reason the Spurs won over 60 games for the first time since 2014.
But San Antonio’s next step may require a tweak. When the Spurs brought Fox in, they wanted his shot creation to push the offense forward. That happened last season, but in the playoffs Harper looked more dependable in that role, and he finished as the Spurs’ second-highest scorer in the NBA Finals.
That shift opens the door for Fox to matter in a different way. If he can become a better catch-and-shoot threat, he can stretch the floor alongside Harper and Castle and create more room for both guards to attack the paint. Defenses that help off him would have to pay for it.
There’s another path, too. Fox’s speed makes him a natural cutter, and he can punish defenders who lose track of him by slipping to the basket for easy looks. Harper and Castle have the playmaking ability to find him in those spots.
Fox has already shown he’s willing to give up touches for the bigger picture. Even while handling primary shot-creation duties for the Spurs last season, he took fewer attempts so Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle could have more room to operate.
That kind of buy-in matters again now. If the Spurs want the full value of their three-guard lineup, Fox’s off-ball work may be just as important as his ability to run the offense. For a star trying to help push a team toward a title run, that kind of adjustment can make all the difference.
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Spurs Suddenly Have A Tobias Harris Question That Actually Matters
Tobias Harris landed in San Antonio on a two-year, $31 million deal in July, giving the Spurs another veteran forward to plug into a roster trying to make the most of its recent run to the NBA Finals. At 34, Harris arrives after two seasons with Detroit, where he remained a steady scoring and rebounding presence and posted averages of 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season.
The fit matters because the Spurs are no longer just collecting talent around Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, they are trying to shape a rotation that can hold up in real games. Harris is expected to be part of that mix, and early offseason work has already started to show how the new pieces are being blended together, with the Spurs keeping a close eye on how a veteran like Harris meshes with familiar names and a group still figuring out its pecking order. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Rookie Fit Next To Wemby Suddenly Carries One Big Concern
Jayden Quaintance arrived with the kind of tools that can make Spurs fans dream about a long-term frontcourt pairing next to Victor Wembanyama. He is widely viewed as a promising defender with real athletic upside, and his profile makes sense for a team that always wants length, activity and switchability around its star. Even with the setbacks that have already followed him, the idea of what he could become in San Antonio is still easy to see.
The concern now is less about the fit and more about the timeline. Quaintance is expected to miss extended time this season because of knee injuries, which clouds when he can actually start building that case on the floor. And while the defensive potential is there, his offensive game remains a work in progress, so his eventual impact will depend not just on getting healthy, but on how much development he can show once he finally gets a run of consistent basketball. [Read more 🡒]
De'Aaron Fox Faces One Spurs Question That Could Change Everything
De'Aaron Fox arrives in San Antonio with the kind of reputation that can still shape a team's plans long after the headline move is over. The Spurs see him as part of their guard rotation and, for now, there is no expectation that they would move him during the season, especially with his contract situation and the reality that teams around the league are not exactly lining up to chase him right now.
The more interesting question is what happens if Fox looks more like himself again. A stronger stretch could change the way he is viewed, both inside the building and on the trade market, giving the Spurs a different kind of flexibility down the road. For now, the path is simple enough: keep him in place, let him settle in, and see whether his play starts creating options that do not exist today. [Read more 🡒]