De’Aaron Fox has only played 17 games with the San Antonio Spurs thus far, but there is already a lot at stake. He recently signed a 4-year max extension worth $229 million, putting pressure on him to live up to expectations. That may be hard enough to do, but it’s made complicated by his having to share the ball.
For Fox to thrive in San Antonio, he’ll have to coexist with several talented people. He’ll not only have to learn how to play with fellow star Victor Wembanyama but also with reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and 2025 second overall pick Dylan Harper.
Working with Wembanyama should be easy enough with them seemingly being a tailor-made pick-and-roll pairing. The Spurs haven’t had a guard like Fox who can get into the paint at will during the Wembanyama era and that could be huge.
De’Aaron Fox will have to coexist with two other Spurs guards
With Wembanyama setting screens for him, Fox would be able to use his speed to turn the corner and attack the paint. That would force the opposing big man to retreat to keep from being blown by.
In turn, that should free Wembanyama up for plenty of wide-open threes. Before his 2024-25 season ended prematurely, he was on pace to set the Spurs’ franchise record for made threes. Put even a decent amount of shooting around those two, and the Spurs should be able to fry teams on offense.
That is all well and good, but Fox will have to figure out how to play with Castle and Harper. None of them are good shooters, but the end goal will likely be to pair the three of them together with Wembanyama and possibly Jeremy Sochan. That would be a great potential pairing, but that could be a fatal flaw if Fox isn’t able to adapt.
Fox has to change his game to fit with the Spurs
Fox isn’t the greatest shooter in the world, as a career 33.0% 3-point shooter, but he isn’t shy about taking them. He attempted 6.1 3-point attempts per game last season, which at least keeps defenses honest since he has no problem taking those shots.
Playing with Wembanyama and at least one other playmaking guard means that he will probably be playing more off-ball. As a result, he will have to get more comfortable spotting up.
Even improving to being a 35% 3-point shooter on high volume would make a big difference, given how light on shooters the Spurs are. He will still play plenty with the ball but will have to tweak his game to accommodate other Spurs who need the ball; if he can, then the Spurs may just be able to make a Fox, Harper, and Castle trio work.
All told, Fox will have to alter his game to thrive as a member of the Spurs, with him having to play more off-ball. It will be a big adjustment, but if he can, then the Spurs can play some unorthodox lineups that could wreak havoc on the rest of the NBA.
