The Spurs ended the first half of Game 5 against the Knicks tonight clinging to a 42-37 lead that was initially a 16-point lead earlier in the second quarter. While the Knicks rallied back into the game once again, Charles Barkley blamed De’Aaron Fox for the Spurs’ offensive woes late in the first half.
The NBA legend appeared on Inside the NBA for the halftime segment and spoke his mind on the Spurs’ situation, urging Mitch Johnson to bench Fox instead of relying on him solely to avoid hurting his feelings.
“I hate to say this, but he has got to go with Castle and Harper. He’s got to take Fox out of the game. I hate saying that cuz I’m a big De’Aaron Fox fan, but if you’re Coach Johnson, you can’t be worried about people’s feelings out here,” said Barkley.
“I think you have got to play Harper and Castle together,” Barkley added after Kenny Smith suggested all three of them could play together on the court.
De’Aaron Fox has been struggling to find consistency throughout this series. Tonight, in the first half, he had only five points, two assists, and two steals while shooting 2-8 from the field (25.0 FG%) and 1-5 from beyond the arc (20.0 3P%).
Before tonight, Fox was averaging 14.3 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds while going 38.2% from the field and 30.0% from beyond the three-point line. And tonight’s performance already adds to the underwhelming consistency, which is not expected from a former All-Star at potentially the biggest stage of his career.
After his costly mistake near the end of Game 4, Mitch Johnson was asked if he would trust Fox at the end of Game 5 as well amid all the criticism that Fox is facing.
“I don’t get into social media. I think I’ve been fired [on social media] 212 times, and we’ve traded Fox 72 times. People have their opinions. I don’t care. I care what the people that matter in our building, our organization, and in that locker room know how I feel.”
“De’Aaron Fox will have the basketball in his hands at the end of the game tomorrow, and I have the utmost confidence he’s going to deliver like he’s done countless times for us,” said the Spurs’ head coach yesterday.
Barkley seems to be unhappy that Johnson is prioritizing what the players in the locker room think of him over making a tough decision to help the team win. The 28-year-old Fox is the veteran on the young Spurs team. But let’s not forget, it is also the first time he is playing in the NBA Finals.
The former Clutch Player of the Year will rarely lose faith in his ability to shoot the ball, but it is now up to Johnson to decide if his contributions are doing more harm than good. If the Spurs manage to extend the series tonight, it will be interesting to see how long Johnson has faith in his plans or if he makes the adjustments like Barkley suggested.
