It wasn’t that long ago when guard De’Aaron Fox was the face of a Sacramento Kings team that was on a downward trajectory. But ever since his trade to the San Antonio Spurs in 2025, it’s been a whole new reality for the 6’3″ star.
As the second fiddle to Victor Wembanyama, it’s a role that De’Aaron is still getting used to. In fact, as he told reporters after the Game 1 loss yesterday, the transition has required tremendous sacrifice on his part, and it hasn’t always been easy to accept.
“I gotta make shots. Obviously, I’m not shooting the ball as much,” said Fox, via JeffG. “But coming here, I knew that was the way it was going to be. As a player, you sacrifice for the betterment of the team. There are times when I need to take shots or times when I don’t take as many shots, but at the end of the day, you need to make the shots that you take.”
The Spurs were held to just 95 points in Wednesday’s loss, one of the lowest-scoring games of the season. Turnovers and poor shooting spelled their doom, and many fans blamed Fox for failing to contribute more to the offense. For now, all they can do is regroup and try to readjust for Game 2.
“We know it’s a long series,” Fox added. “Obviously, you want to win every game that you have on your home court, but it’s not the way it happens every day. We try to go in and fix the things we need to fix. Obviously, we want a different outcome.”
Fox was the fifth overall pick in 2017, and he was given the keys right away. Over eight and a half seasons in Sacramento, he averaged 21.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game on 47.1% shooting from the field and 33.3% shooting from three.
Under his guidance, the Kings rose to become a prominent threat in the West, but things fell apart before they could make a deep playoff run. Now, on the Spurs, he’s following Victor Wembanyama’s lead en route to his first-ever championship. While the sidekick role is not something he’s used to, he’s made the most of it so far with averages of 18.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game on 48.6% shooting and 33.2% shooting from three this season.
In the playoffs, Fox has endured some injuries that have limited his game. In Game 1, for example, he was held to just seven points, four rebounds, five assists, one steal, and zero blocks on 23.1% shooting (0-4 shooting from three). Ultimately, if the Spurs are going to win this series, they’ll need him to play better and apply more defensive pressure to the backcourt.
At 1-0, the Knicks have all the momentum in this series, but De’Aaron knows better than to give up now. He’s seen what this Spurs team can do, and he believes the best is yet to come if everyone plays their role and works together on the floor. For Fox, this is a chance to prove that he’s ready and capable of filling the role as Victor Wembanyama’s primary co-star.
