Since before the All-Star Break, De'Aaron Fox was struggling for the San Antonio Spurs. In the recent win over the Detroit Pistons, he seemed to quiet any doubters.
The San Antonio Spurs cruised past the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, winning 121-106. Led by a dominant 38 points, 16 rebounds, and five blocks from Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs finished the season series up 2-0 over Detroit.
While Wembanyama got all the attention for all the right reasons after the game, De'Aaron Fox also played a massive role. The All-Star point guard offered 29 points and two steals, posting 20 or more points for only the second time since the All-Star Break.
Postgame, Fox revealed how he adjusted on the fly to overcome a tough matchup and a cold streak.
Does De'Aaron Fox Read Roundtable?
I don't think Fox reads our stuff (He should! We're giving away a Wemby jersey!), but if he does, he would have seen that we weren't very nice to him.
"Hardly worth the maximum contract he signed over the summer!" I wrote just hours before tipoff. There's a bit of egg on my face.
Against Detroit, who held him to just ten inefficient points in their last meeting, he kicked things into an All-NBA gear, playing the perfect sidekick role to Wembanyama, and often looking like the best player on the court.
He knew the Pistons would bring the pain, and he was quick to adjust.
"With teams like that, it's gonna be a lot of hands, swiping hands down. It's nothing, I mean, you're taught this," he said. "However the refs call it, they call it. But you have to be able to be physical offensively, as well as being physical on the defensive end. And playing against this team, you know that you're gonna have to bring that because you're not gonna be able to finesse your way or just be able to get out and transition the entire game. So, you have to be able to match their physicality on both ends of the court."
In the playoffs, the Spurs will certainly get more than their fair share of rough-and-tumble play. Fox is not one of the more physical players in the league, but he's aware and able to combat it.
Combine that with his clutch gene, and the Spurs should be in good hands when they'll need him most.