De’Aaron Fox returns, seals Spurs win, and resets the timeline

De’Aaron Fox yet made his play debut for San Antonio and looked acceptable from the jump. He closed a 126–119 triumph implicit the Pelicans with a 10-foot floater astatine 0:29, finishing with 24 points connected 9-for-14 shooting successful his archetypal crippled since March 12. Teammates admitted they were itching for this moment. “We’ve been waiting for Fox to get back, truly each summer,” San Antonio defender Stephon Castle said. “It’s large to person him backmost connected the court. Obviously, you spot however overmuch of a assistance offensively helium is for us. It’s lone up from here.” Fox grinned erstwhile asked astir the decisive shot: “I mean, I’m bully astatine basketball.” He added, “So, you tin inactive person rust and beryllium capable to bash that.”

Why the Spurs took their time

Fox returned from manus country and a aboriginal hamstring setback, some of which stalled his archetypal afloat play with the Spurs aft a February commercialized and an August extension. He admitted the impulse to unreserved backmost was real. “Absolutely,” Fox said. “For me, arsenic a subordinate and arsenic a competitor, evidently I privation to get retired there. But I’m listening to (the aesculapian staff) and they person the champion involvement for maine due to the fact that evidently I signed a declaration to beryllium present agelong term, truthful they privation to support the plus and marque definite the plus is acceptable erstwhile I’m retired there. So, for me, it was conscionable trusting that, trusting the process, and I consciousness similar we did a large occupation this summertime and up successful the aboriginal parts of the season.” Coach Mitch Johnson kept it simple: “He’s dynamic,” Johnson said. “He’s done it plentifulness of times and it’s bully to person him backmost connected the tribunal and hopefully we tin conscionable proceed to build.”

Fitting alongside Wembanyama and Castle

We saw however the pieces tin click. Eight Spurs scored successful treble figures, with Victor Wembanyama astatine 18 points and 18 rebounds, and Castle astatine 14 points and 14 assists. Fox already feels the spacing. “He’s 1 of those guys similar Steph Curry,” Fox said of Wembanyama. “There’s not a batch of radical similar that that conscionable person that benignant of gravity erstwhile they don’t person the ball. Vic is 1 of those guys and helium opens it up for everybody else.”