Last week, while talking to a reporter following San Antonio’s win over Boston, De’Aaron Fox was distracted by a sound from across the room. As Fox answered questions, Keldon Johnson’s voice carried to his locker. “Foxyyy” shouted Johnson. “Foxxyyyyy.” Pausing, Fox smiled. “Sorry,” said Fox. “We’ve got guys that like to have fun.”
Here’s the thing: Fox is one of them. Nearly a year after muscling his way off a Sacramento team going nowhere, Fox finds himself as a key contributor to a winning one. San Antonio, 28–13 after slapping around Milwaukee on Thursday, is tied for second in the Western Conference. Fox is averaging 20.4 points, down from his peak years with the Kings but enough for a Spurs team ranked in the top 10 in offensive efficiency.
It’s a different role, Fox says. But not one he is uncomfortable with. He’s off the ball more in San Antonio, something he says he enjoyed when he did it in Sacramento. At 28, he qualifies as an elder statesman in a youthful Spurs locker room—“They call me Unc,” says Fox—but he likes being a voice of experience. He’s playing with a pair of up-and-coming lead guards in Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper but says the fit has been relatively easy.
“I mean, not many teams can have a plethora of elite defenders that can really just keep us all at bay,” says Fox. “Obviously, there are a few times where we actually play together, but a lot of times there’s two of us on the court at all times. So I definitely think it makes us more dynamic as a team.”
Indeed, if Victor Wembanyama is the engine that drives San Antonio (and Wemby, a lock for his second All-Star appearance and a top 10 MVP finish, most certainly is) then the trio of Fox, Castle and Harper are the wheels. Castle, the reigning Rookie of the Year, has emerged as an elite two-way guard; Harper, a 19-year-old bulldog who plays with a physicality that belies his years; and Fox, the open-floor blur capable of carrying the offensive load when needed.
This is the role the Spurs envisioned for Fox when they acquired him last February. Sort of. Back then, Wembanyama needed a proven wingman. Fox, a former All-Star a couple of years removed from being named the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year, fit. Months after trading for him, the Spurs signed him to a four-year, $229 million contract extension, committing to Fox for years to come.
The dynamic, though, changed last June, when the pingpong balls bounced San Antonio’s way, landing the Spurs the No. 2 pick, which they used to draft Harper. It would be understandable if Fox felt slighted by San Antonio’s decision to draft another guard. But he saw things differently. Sure, Harper was a primary playmaker. But he was a physical, 6' 5" guard. Castle is 6' 6". In a league becoming increasingly position-less, that kind of size creates valued versatility.
“I think I learned to play off ball a little bit in my last couple years, and obviously I’ve played off ball a lot more here than I have [elsewhere], but I think it’s good,” says Fox. “I think not having to have a ball in your hand is definitely a lot less tiresome. Just learning it to affect the game in different ways. I mean, obviously there are times where I do still have the ball a lot in my head, but learning to play off the ball makes you more dynamic as a player.”
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson admitted he wondered how it would come together. “It’s easy to put the lens on from any of their perspectives and understand why it would be difficult to sacrifice or to share as much as maybe they would for if they were on another team,” said Johnson. What’s impressed Johnson, he said, is how eager all three have been to make it work.
“I think that’s what has allowed us to feel good about what’s happened,” said Johnson. “And then also, more importantly, to grow them all together and not be worried about, ‘Can they play together? Are they redundant? Are the skill sets [too similar]?’ Whatever the narratives may be.
“Their willingness and enthusiasm, I think, to play with each other has been the key for it. And then obviously us learning how to play to their strengths and help each other when they’re out there together, when we see different types of coverages or schemes, is our job, and I think we’ll continue to get better at that.”
Fox says he puts much of the responsibility to make it work on his shoulders. He tries “to pass on little tricks” to Castle and Harper. At practice, he says, they push each other. Fox learned his lessons over five straight losing seasons in Sacramento. He sees San Antonio’s status as a conference contender as a way to fast-track his young teammates’ development.
“They’re still learning the NBA,” says Fox. “Obviously, they’re still very talented basketball players, but you’re still learning your way around the league and trying to be consistent without a lot of games. I’m just trying to be that voice in their ear about things. Taking care of your body, that stuff. Hopefully they can win while learning about this league. It’s always the best thing to do.”
Winning works for Fox, too. He got a taste of it three years ago when the Kings won 48 games, made the postseason and were lighting the beam regularly. That success, though, was short-lived. The roster eroded and Fox determined he was better off elsewhere. In San Antonio, he’s part of not just success but sustainable success. And Fox can still dial it up: When Wembanyama went down for a dozen games with a calf injury early in the season, Fox averaged 25.2 points on 48.1% shooting, including 40.5% from three.
“We have a team that enjoys being around each other,” says Fox. “But like I said, it’s also a very talented group. So we go out there, we have fun, we play hard. And, hey, it’s very fun when you are winning games.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as By Sharing the Ball, De’Aaron Fox Helped Unlock the Spurs.
