The San Antonio Spurs have been red-hot as of late, despite struggles from one veteran.
Since February 1, the San Antonio Spurs have gone 12-1, proving their dominance in the Western Conference. Victor Wembanyama has remained elite, especially on defense. Stephon Castle has stepped up, and Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie have been red-hot.
Veteran point guard De'Aaron Fox, however, has struggled despite an All-Star nod this season.
Since the first of February, Fox has averaged only 14.7 points per game on 49.4% shooting from the field and 29.6% from deep. Hardly worth the maximum contract he signed over the summer! The Spurs do have a clear solution, although it would leave egg on the face of the front office.
Spurs Must Give Dylan Harper a Bigger Role
Fox has been posting his lackluster numbers in 27.7 minutes per game. In only 24.6 minutes per game, rookie Dylan Harper has offered a more-effecient 12.7 points per game in the same span.
While Harper's assist-to-turnover ratio is less than ideal, especially compared to Fox's, by having Harper share the floor with Castle, his ball-handling and creation responsibilities would be rather limited.
Generally, Fox is one of the best drivers in the league. However, Harper is quickly catching up, and his recent stellar play, coupled with Fox's shortcomings, makes it clear that he could be ahead of schedule.
When the Spurs signed Fox to a maximum extension this summer, it was speculated that Fox might not finish out that deal in San Antonio. Of course, Harper's eventual rise wouldn't help, as he and Castle are seen as Victor Wembanyama's long-term running mates.
It was generally accepted that Harper would eventually pass Fox up, but that was more so thanks to Harper's eventual rise, not a decline by Fox. However, there is currently a perfect storm brewing in San Antonio. This is not a call to trade or even bench Fox, who is the most expensive player on the roster. Instead, it's simply us nudging the front office to prepare for the fact that Harper might be well ahead of schedule, and they should be ready to pass the torch sooner than expected.
