With Victor Wembanyama sidelined by a calf strain, De’Aaron Fox is carrying the Spurs’ offense and sending a loud message: this roster is built to respond.
An early-season gut punch hit the San Antonio Spurs when Victor Wembanyama went down with a calf strain, one of those nagging NBA injuries that can derail momentum in a hurry.
Suddenly, San Antonio was without its franchise 7-4 cheat code and forced to answer a brutal question. What are the Spurs without Wemby?
De'Aaron Fox has started to deliver that answer.
With Wembanyama out, Fox was thrust into an even bigger role, and while it took him a minute to find his offensive rhythm, he's now playing like the engine of a team that refuses to fold.
Following the Spurs' win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Fox made it clear he's not interested in any "poor us without Victor" narrative.
"I already said it before. We have a team! Obviously, Victor is a big part of that team. He's a big piece to us, and we think he’s one of the best players in the world. At the end of the day, we have a team," Fox said.
That emphasis on team is no accident.
"And when you have a team that's been put together the way we are and have the bond that we do, you come out, when a guy is down … multiple guys step up!" he added.
Fox is doing more than talking.
Since Wembanyama's injury, he's playing like the All-Star-level guard San Antonio was betting on when it handed him a $229 million deal over the summer.
Through nine games, Fox is averaging 25 points, 6.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game, giving the Spurs exactly the kind of high-usage shot creator they need while their unicorn recovers.
When San Antonio landed the No. 2 pick and drafted Dylan Harper, plenty of people questioned whether giving Fox a max deal would clog the developmental runway.
Instead, Fox is setting the standard.
If Harper is the future, Fox is showing him what that future is supposed to look like ... aggressive, poised and unbothered by adversity.
What started as a "hold it together until Wemby returns" stretch has quietly turned into a De'Aaron Fox statement tour.
If he keeps this up and the Spurs stack some wins along the way, an All-Star nod won't just be a possibility. It'll be the next logical step in a season where Fox is proving he’s much more than a complementary piece.