It took some time, but the Spurs are finally getting what they hoped for from De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama: a real two-man engine.
Fox didn’t have much runway with Wembanyama when he first arrived in San Antonio, and last season he was mostly asked to work off the ball. That cut down on his chances to run pick-and-roll and slowed the process of building rhythm with the 7-foot-4 star. Now, with Fox back at point guard, the fit is starting to click.
Through eight games, Fox is averaging 6.1 assists and just 2.8 turnovers per game, and he’s making a strong case as the team’s best passer even though Stephon Castle led San Antonio in total assists and assists per game last season. More importantly, Fox is feeding Wembanyama easy looks, especially on alley-oops, and the Spurs’ best players are beginning to look connected in a way that hasn’t always been there.
That chemistry has shown up in the little things, too. Fox is scoring less, but he’s choosing his spots better and using the attention Wembanyama draws to create cleaner chances for himself. Wembanyama, meanwhile, is rolling to the basket more often and becoming a bigger lob threat, which gives Fox a clear target when the defense shifts.
The payoff goes beyond highlight plays. By taking some of the decision-making burden off Wembanyama, Fox is helping him get better shots and cleaner possessions.
Wembanyama is now averaging a career low in turnovers while also posting a career high in points per game. Last season, he was often trying to do too much with the ball.
This year, Fox is helping simplify things.
The same effect has reached Castle as well. His turnovers have dropped from 3.2 last season to 2.3 this season.
For the Spurs, the main benefit is obvious: putting the ball in Fox’s hands is making their offense cleaner and more efficient. It’s also building the kind of Fox-Wembanyama chemistry that could matter even more when the playoffs arrive and scoring gets harder to find.
In Other News...
Dylan Harper Said What Spurs Fans Are Starting To Believe About Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyamas latest night was the kind that forces even hardened NBA observers to stop and reset their expectations. He put up 52 points, 24 rebounds, eight blocks and two steals in 34 minutes, a line so rare it put him alongside Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to ever reach at least 50 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks in a game. It also kept the Spurs rolling, pushing their winning streak to six and lifting them to 6-2.
For a young roster trying to find its identity, the bigger takeaway may be how quickly Wembanyama is turning awe into routine. Dylan Harper was among the teammates who came away sounding like fans, praising Wembanyamas dominance and drawing the Chamberlain comparison himself, which says plenty about the standard being set inside the locker room. The question now is less about whether Wembanyama can take over a game than how far San Antonio can ride nights like this while the rest of the league keeps trying to catch up. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama Is Putting Dallas Through The Exact Show Spurs Fans Dreamed Of
Victor Wembanyama made the Spurs matchup with Dallas feel like a showcase from the opening tip, and by halftime he had already piled up a line that looked more like a full game than a first half. The rookie center scored 29 points on 7-for-12 shooting and added 16 rebounds, two assists, three steals and six blocks, giving San Antonio exactly the kind of two-way dominance its fans have been imagining since he arrived.
The Mavericks tried to keep pace through Kyrie Irving, who had 17 points and four assists, but Wembanyama kept bending the game in San Antonios favor on both ends. For a Spurs team still building around its new centerpiece, nights like this are a reminder of how quickly he can change the tone of a game, and how uncomfortable he can make even a veteran opponent look when the matchup tilts his way. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyamas Historic Night Still Left Him Frustrated With One Thing
Victor Wembanyama delivered the kind of performance that can reshape a game and a conversation at the same time, piling up a career-high 52 points with 24 rebounds and eight blocks to lift the Spurs past Dallas, 112-111. It was the sort of night San Antonio has been waiting to see from its franchise centerpiece, especially with the rest of the roster struggling to keep pace offensively while the Mavericks kept clawing back into it.
Even after all that, Wembanyama did not sound like a player fully satisfied with the finish. He pointed to a few late-game details he wanted back, including missed free throws and the way he handled some screen-setting sequences, a reminder that his standards are already set well beyond a box score that most players would celebrate for weeks. For the Spurs, the win mattered most, but the frustration attached to it may be just as telling about where their star thinks this group still has room to grow. [Read more 🡒]