De’Aaron Fox’s Steady Routine Turns Him Into Spurs’ Late-Game Anchor
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San Antonio — One year after a franchise-shifting trade moved him from the Sacramento Kings to the San Antonio Spurs, guard De’Aaron Fox has emerged as the team’s most reliable closer while navigating a deep postseason run alongside 22-year-old centerpiece Victor Wembanyama.
Fox, 28, leans on strict personal routines — even declining a post-midnight team dinner following the Spurs’ Game 3 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals — believing that consistency off the court keeps his emotions level on it. “If I’m not making shots, I don’t get sporadic,” he said. “When I am making shots, my game doesn’t change.”
Adjusting to a New Role
The nine-year veteran was the ball-dominant star in Sacramento, but his arrival in San Antonio required sharing possessions with Wembanyama and a deep young roster. Touches, points and assists are all down from his 2024 playoff debut with the Kings, yet coaches credit Fox’s ability to toggle between facilitating and taking over late.
Head coach Mitch Johnson called him “the most unsung reason why this has all worked,” noting Fox’s willingness to cede control early before closing games alongside Wembanyama.
Clutch Track Record
The 2022-23 NBA Clutch Player of the Year has amplified that reputation this spring. Through the first two rounds he posted 69 fourth-quarter points (tied for ninth in the league), 16 assists and only two turnovers. He is hitting 43 percent of his off-the-dribble three-pointers and 49 percent of all dribble jumpers, creating 81 percent of his own shots — fourth-highest among playoff participants.
In the first round’s Game 5 clincher over Portland, Fox scored or assisted on 42 of San Antonio’s points, including 13 of his 21 in the final period, securing the Spurs’ first series victory since 2017.
Impact of Injury and Return
A high right ankle sprain suffered May 10 forced Fox to miss the opening two contests of the conference finals against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Without him, San Antonio averaged 22 turnovers and allowed 27.5 points off those mistakes. His return for Games 3 and 4 trimmed those figures to 14 turnovers and 16.5 points, helping level the series at 2-2 heading into Tuesday’s Game 5 (8:30 p.m. ET, NBC).
Playing hurt, Fox produced 12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and zero turnovers in Game 4, his second career postseason double-double.
Support System at Home
Fox credits much of his stability to his wife, former McDonald’s All American and ex-UCLA, Texas Tech and California guard Recee Caldwell Fox. She still shouts free-throw reminders — “elbow over eye” — from the stands, though the couple talks basketball less while raising their children. Fox now wears No. 4, her college number, instead of the No. 5 he donned in Sacramento.
Championship Ceiling
Despite limited collective playoff experience — Fox’s seven games entering this run were the roster’s only postseason appearances — the point guard sees no reason the Spurs cannot chase the franchise’s first title since 2014. “The only thing people think we’re missing is experience,” he said. “If it’s this year, next year, two years, I think this team’s ceiling right now is a championship.”
For San Antonio, that pursuit continues Tuesday night with the Western Conference finals tied and their closer back on the floor.
Source: ESPN
