A promising season ending a disappointing way for De'Aaron Fox. Looking past the late-season blunders, how can the Spurs get the most of their top veteran?
No name on this past year's roster for the Spurs is sure to conjure up mixed feelings more than De'Aaron Fox.
Touted as the go-to veteran, the point guard lived up to his role and possibly even exceeded expectations during a regular season that saw him show that he is still capable of being a top talent in the NBA.
Fox hit the court 72 times for San Antonio and started each and every one of those appearances. He tallied averages of around 19 points, six assists and four rebounds, while claiming his second-ever All Star selection.
With the second highest scoring average for the Spurs and total command of the floor, Fox looked to be the key to providing a balancing counterpart to the freakish abilities of Victor Wembanyama.
This strategy worked for majority of San Antonio's outings but ran into a few hang ups when the lights got the brightest.
Despite being one of only a handful, and arguably the most important, Spurs to previously make the playoffs, Fox faded as the team continued to go deeper into the postseason.
His scoring dropped by nearly four points down to 15 and, frankly, he just did not seem like himself for much of San Antonio's eventual run to the NBA Finals.
Head coach Mitch Johnson repeatedly tabbed Fox as the leader of San Antonio, at least from a experience standpoint, and always emphasized the importance of having someone like him to guide such a young squad.
But it sometimes felt as if Fox was the one being taught by the inexperienced core he was supposed to be training up.
The biggest blunder that Fox was involved in this past postseason came in Game 4 of the Finals in Madison Square Garden, where he came up big late to secure a turnover and set up the chance for a Spurs win by dribbling out the clock.
Instead, Fox went for the insurance layup, which was promptly blocked by the Knicks' OG Anunoby. He would later score the game-winning basket for New York in a moment that San Antonio probably still is not ready to revisit quite yet.
While mistakes happen to even the most seasoned of veterans, Fox committing arguably the most detrimental miscue of the entire postseason for San Antonio was a tough pill to swallow for many.
Some have called for Fox to be shipped out in favor of Dylan Harper, and while getting the brilliant rookie some more playing time is not a bad idea at all, it should not have to come at the cost of its second-best option, according to the stats.
Regardless of how sour of a note the campaign ended on for Fox, he was still an integral piece of the Spurs even having the opportunity to advance as far as they did.
And the Spurs will undoubtedly need him again if they hope to finish the job this season.
FINAL GRADE: B+, 2026 OUTLOOK: Veteran Leader, Backcourt Commander
