When De’Aaron Fox left Sacramento, he was the face of the Kings franchise. He came to San Antonio, where Victor Wembanyama had already been dubbed the future face of the NBA.
Considering the level of talent
throughout the league and the confidence that it takes to make it to the NBA, egos could have caused a rough transition or even a contentious pairing.
But nothing could be further form the truth. De’Aaron has fully embraced San Antonio and has accepted his role as a member of the Spurs.
Fox has stated that he is here to support Victor Wembanyama. Oftentimes you don’t see that level of humility from a max player.
But as he shared during the postgame interview on Sunday, Fox believes he is in the right place with the right guys.
“We see the talent that he has and we know that he can be one of the greatest players. As he’s trying to get there, you don’t go through it on your own. All great players play with other great players. I can help him with that, try to win as much as possible.”
Wembanyama also has faith in Fox, stating in his post game presser after Friday night’s loss to the Warriors,
“We trust De’Aaron with these kind of shots. History has proven that he is more than capable of making things happen in this fine game.”
Wemby summed it up with a simple comment, “trusting each other, trusting the game plan.”
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson was asked about De’Aaron transitioning from a franchise max player into his role as a leader while still catering to Wembanyama’s growth.
Johnson said,
“Everyone from one to eighteen these guys – the level of engagement and commitment to want to be here. It’s very clear that we have the face of our franchise and he’s comfortable with that and everybody around him is. I think for De’Aaron to be one of the faces of his franchise prior to joining our group, and wanting to be here and show that desire. It helps sets the tone for everybody else because he has been someone in similar shoes a max guy and a big dog with his group. It helps empower me to coach and keep them accountable when you have some of the guys at the forefront with that mindset.”
Fox isn’t just showing respect to the role Victor plays, but he is setting the example for everyone on the team. It is a Spurs mindset that goes back to when David Robinson relinquished his leadership role to Tim Duncan. And how as the face of the franchise Duncan took criticism from Pop allowing everyone else to be coached without ego.
Fox is carrying that mantle, creating an inclusive environment with the team.
“We have an extremely talented group…when one guy goes down, not just one person steps up, but our entire team steps up. I try to stay aggressive regardless of who’s out there.”
Coach Johnson added,
He made plays. In Sacramento, a lot of times, he would be…the main creator or playmaker. I thought he did a good job of being aggressive for himself and his teammates. He is so dynamic that it’s going to be tough to play him one-on-one, and then when he sees the crowd, he’ll have opportunities to makes his teammates better like he did tonight. Sometimes, you can be freed of decision-making when you have less options to choose from.
That decision-making will lead to a lot of fourth quarters where Fox and Wembanyama can deliver a one-two punch in clutch time. As they continue to grow, the two will learn each other’s style and play on the other’s strengths.
Last year, both Fox and Wembanyama missed the end of the season, limiting their time on the court together. For the time being, Wemby is out with a calf strain. This will allow Fox to take the spotlight and develop relationships on court with other members of the Spurs.
It will also set the stage for Fox to remind everyone why he was the 2023 NBA Clutch Player of the Year.
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