One of the biggest questions facing the San Antonio Spurs next season is how they handle De’Aaron Fox.
Last season, guard depth was one of the team’s real strengths. Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper gave San Antonio three strong options, and that was a major reason the Spurs reached the NBA Finals. But the playoff run exposed a problem the team can’t ignore.
Fox had a rough postseason, and it got especially ugly in the finals. His shot wasn’t falling, his decision-making slipped, and he became a major liability for San Antonio.
Harper, meanwhile, was clearly outplaying him in the finals. If head coach Mitch Johnson had made the call to bench Fox, the Spurs might be the reigning NBA champions.
That’s why Harper changes the conversation. He has the highest ceiling of the three guards and, at his best, looks like a future All-NBA player. After the way he performed as a rookie and in the playoffs, there’s a strong case that San Antonio has to rethink the pecking order.
The Spurs still reportedly believe in Fox, but that faith has to come with limits. If he doesn’t show real signs of bouncing back, Harper needs to be the one in the starting lineup.
Harper was sensational as a rookie, and in the playoffs he played with the poise of a 10-year veteran. He got downhill whenever he wanted, made the right reads, and showed real confidence in his jump shot.
There’s also the contract reality. Fox’s big extension starts next season, and he’s set to make more than $50 million a year.
That kind of money makes him hard to move, because there aren’t many teams willing to take on a deal that large. In that sense, the Spurs are committed to making it work.
But commitment doesn’t mean stubbornness. San Antonio is trying to win a championship, and seniority can’t be the deciding factor if Harper gives them the better shot. There were early-summer rumblings that Harper wouldn’t accept a bench role, but those were quickly shot down.
Even with Fox’s contract on the books, the Spurs still have to ask the uncomfortable question: is Harper already the better player, not just the better long-term bet? That’s the dilemma San Antonio has to sort through, and the sooner it gets answered, the better.
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