When the San Antonio Spurs reached the NBA Finals, a lot was made of their young roster, particularly with their emerging star trio of rookie Dylan Harper, sophomore Stephon Castle, and French phenom Victor Wembanyama.
They were 22 or younger, and although talented, it became noticeable that their inexperience in the league and of being on a playoff run caught up to them against the New York Knicks.
However, they also had a veteran point guard during their postseason, with De’Aaron Fox having been in the league for 10 years, giving them someone who many thought could provide a significant boost.
Unfortunately, Fox had his share of shooting issues and other mistakes during the NBA Finals, including a surprising late-game layup attempt that went awry in the Spurs’ 29-point collapse to lose Game 4.
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With many individuals criticizing Fox for what he did or didn’t do, critics and analysts began chattering about a potential move to a different guard for their roster. However, ESPN’s NBA insider, Brian Windhorst, doesn’t believe the Spurs will have that mindset with Fox.
I know there’s a lot of interest in whether they might do something with De’Aaron Fox, but they are committed to him right now as their franchise point guard. And I think they will remain that way,” Windhorst said on “SportsCenter” on Monday.
Fox joined the team before the 2025 NBA trade deadline and became part of the Spurs’ guard trio, which features former NBA Rookie of the Year Castle and last year’s No. 2 pick, Harper. He averaged 15.6 points, six assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game in the playoffs, while shooting 41.4% field goals.
In the Spurs’ Game 5 loss, Fox shot 3 of 15 and finished with just seven points in 37 minutes. Harper contributed a team-high 25 points off the bench, making 10 of 19 field goals.
While he made mistakes in the NBA Finals, so did other players. Fox also dealt with an injury that kept him out of the lineup for multiple games, and he was still not fully healthy when he initially returned. He may still have been dealing with the lingering effects of his injury.
It was also Fox’s second appearance in a postseason, having previously appeared with the Sacramento Kings after the 2022-23 NBA season. That team only played seven games, and while it gave Fox some playoff experience, it wasn’t a whole lot.
Clearly, the Spurs possess a lot of talent on their roster thanks to recent drafts. Harper seems like a wise choice to start over Fox, as it seems he will continue to improve after this past season.
Windhorst’s co-star, Kendrick Perkins, said he believed the Spurs should move on from Fox and go with Harper moving forward, but based on the insider’s remarks, it doesn’t seem that’s San Antonio’s plan, yet.
More news: ESPN Star Defends Victor Wembanyama’s Actions After Spurs Lost Finals
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