ESPN continued it’s Top 100 players for the 2025-26 season, releasing players 50-11 today. After Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell came in at 94th and 99th, respectively, De’Aaron Fox makes his first appearance
as a Spur at 35th. Here is what they had to say:
35. De’Aaron Fox, G, San Antonio Spurs
2024 NBA Rank: 26
San Antonio’s acquisition of No. 2 pick Dylan Harper left pundits wondering whether the Spurs would break the bank to re-sign Fox to a max contract. Internally, however, there was never a doubt on either side despite the veteran guard playing just five games last season alongside franchise cornerstone Victor Wembanyama. With a full offseason to work with the French phenom, Fox expects the duo to round into a near-unstoppable pick-and-roll combo that will lead arguably the most athletic and versatile Spurs roster since the franchise’s dynasty days. — (Michael C.) Wright
Signature stat: Fox is one of two players to average 20 points, 5 assists and 1 steal in each of the past six seasons (with Luka Doncic).
Fantasy projection: 23.6 PTS, 5.9 AST, 1.5 STL
Fox experienced a bit of a drop from 26th at the beginning of last season after playing with a damaged pinkie the entire time, only appearing in 17 games with the Spurs after they acquired him in February before they shut him down for surgery. Now healthy with a full summer of practice with his new teammates and a brand new extension under his belt, the fit will hopefully be more even seamless as he plans to help lead the Spurs to their first playoff appearance since 2019.
As an added bonus, ESPN also had a debate article with its staff about the picks so far. While the top 10 has yet to be revealed, who hasn’t shown up is an obvious tell. When asked which player rankings had surprised them the most, Jamal Collier suggested Victor Wembanyama hadn’t quite earned his top 10 ranking yet (sarcastic spoiler alert):
Victor Wembanyama is awesome, but top 10 is too high for him at this moment. I’m not saying he won’t get there — even by the end of this upcoming season. But he simply doesn’t have the credentials or pressure performances of the other top-10 players in the league.
When asked to make a bold prediction about a current top 100 player, Jorge Sedano was a bit more complimentary of The Alien:
Wembanyama will be the fourth player in NBA history to win both MVP and DPOY (Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Antetokounmpo). He’s a lock to win DPOY provided he logs the requisite amount of games. I think for him to win the MVP in a loaded Western Conference, the Spurs will have to be a top-six seed. I’m willing to bet there will be some things that bounce their way and that the Spurs will be improved enough to reach that benchmark.
As a little added clarification, he means IN THE SAME SEASON. Two other players have also won both awards in their career — David Robinson and Kevin Garnett — just not in the same season. Regardless, that definitely falls under the “bold prediction” category and would be quite the accomplishment in just Wemby’s third season. As mentioned, it will require the Spurs themselves to make a leap not just to the postseason, but also above the play-in for him to even be considered for MVP (DPOY is probably a near given).
We’ll see where Wemby actually falls soon, but having two players in the top 35 is a good sign of things ahead!
