Сан-Антонио Спөрсийн удирдлага Ди’Аарон Фоксын гэмтэл болон плэй-оффын гүйцэтгэлд эргэлзэхгүй байгаагаа илэрхийлэв.
Ди’Аарон Фокс улирлын эхэнд авсан шөрмөсний гэмтлийн улмаас хуучин шигээ тэсрэлттэй тоглож чадаагүй ч Спөрсийн довтолгоог удирдан багийг Өрнөд бүсэд хоёрдугаар байрт ороход чухал үүрэг гүйцэтгэсэн. Гэвч плэй-оффын хоёрдугаар шатны дөрөвдүгээр тоглолтод Миннесота Тимбервулвзийн Аёо Досунмугийн хөл дээр унаснаар түүний биеийн байдал муудаж, сүүлийн 10 тоглолтын дөрөвт нь ганц оронтой оноо авсан юм. Үүний дараа Нью-Йорк Никсийн эсрэг цувралын дөрөвдүгээр тоглолтын төгсгөлд цаг сунгахын оронд ОГ Анунобигийн хаалтанд орсон оролт хийхээр шийдсэн нь багаа хожигдолд хүргэсэн билээ.
Спөрсийн ерөнхий менежер Брайан Райт мягмар гарагт хийсэн мэдэгдэлдээ Фоксын ур чадвар болон багт үзүүлж буй нөлөөнд бүрэн итгэж байгаагаа онцолсон. Мөн тэрээр Фокс бэртэлтэй байсан ч гомдол мэдүүлэлгүйгээр тоглолтоо үргэлжлүүлснийг өндрөөр үнэлж, ирэх зун түүнийг илүү сайжрах болно гэдэгт итгэлтэй байна гэв.
Багийн бүрэлдэхүүний хувьд Ди’Аарон Фокс, Дилан Харпер, Стефон Касл нарын гурвал ирээдүйд хэрхэн зохицох нь анхаарал татаж байна. Виктор Вембаньяма супермакс гэрээ байгуулах төлөвтэй байгаа тул ирэх жилүүдэд багийн цалингийн цэсэнд өөрчлөлт хийх шаардлага тулгарч болзошгүй. Гэсэн хэдий ч Брайан Райт эдгээр гурван тоглогчийг хамтдаа талбайд гаргаж, өрсөлдөгчдөд хүндрэл учруулах боломжтой хэмээн үзэж байна.
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SAN ANTONIO — De’Aaron Fox’s journey this past regular season was relatively smooth, though he never quite had his trademark explosiveness after starting the season out with a hamstring strain.
He rarely dunked and went above the rim, something that was a part of his game before he arrived in San Antonio. However, the All-Star point guard was the metronome to a Spurs offense that was much better than expected and proved to be a vital cog in their engine as they finished second in the Western Conference.
But after a decent start to the postseason, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu landed on Fox’s leg in Game 4 of their second-round series, and Fox was never the same. He played through the injury but was a shell of himself as a scorer, being held to single digits in four of the Spurs’ final 10 playoff games.
Things took a turn for the worse when his blunder capped off the New York Knicks’ historic Game 4 comeback. Fox opted to attempt a layup in the closing seconds instead of dribbling out the clock, resulting in an OG Anunoby block.
With rookie Dylan Harper’s emergence as a two-way stud in the NBA playoffs and with Fox’s four-year, $229 million max extension kicking in next season, Fox’s future in San Antonio appeared to be uncertain. However, Spurs general manager Brian Wright shot down that notion Tuesday.
“Obviously, the injury is a real thing, but we have the ultimate faith in De’Aaron and who he is as a player, what he’s been for us and what he means to this team,” Wright said. “And there’s no wavering in that at all.”
Wright appreciated that the 28-year-old Fox not only gutted it out through an ankle sprain that Spurs coach Mitch Johnson implied would’ve kept him on the shelf for some time in the regular season, but also did so without a public complaint.
“The confidence level (in Fox) is incredibly high,” Wright said. “De’Aaron is not one to — you guys talk to him. He doesn’t make excuses. He doesn’t shy away from anything. I think, as I said earlier, there are moments for all of us to reflect back and like, ‘Man, we can do this better.’ I know he’s approaching this summer as he can continue to improve.”
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Eventually, the trio of Fox, Harper and Stephon Castle won’t work … presumably.
Unless one of them is willing to spend their career coming off the bench or becomes a dangerous floor spacer well beyond expectation, someone is heading out at some point. Harper and Castle made strides as shooters this season, but that was on low volume and mostly stationary or rhythm dribble pull-ups.
Harper could be the one who makes the leap and becomes a viable two-way wing who can run point whenever he wants, but that would be a surprise.
Financially, Castle and Harper already seem like locks for max extensions when their rookie deals are up. Castle is entering his third season and will be eligible to sign his extension after next season, so the Spurs have about two more years until the team’s cap sheet gets top-heavy.
Victor Wembanyama will likely sign his supermax extension this summer as he enters the final year of his rookie deal, meaning the team would have, eventually, four max players on the roster, which is essentially unheard of.
Fox’s salary only jumps from $37.1 million to $49,8 million next season, which is not drastic. However, it’s projected to reach $61.4 million in 2029-30, so something will have to change if the Spurs want to field a balanced roster long term.
The Spurs likely need two shooting wings (Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie) around Wembanyama, so there will likely be tough decisions in the future.
Asked how he envisioned the situation playing out long term, Wright painted a picture that keeps all three of Fox, Castle and Harper in frame.
“They’ll continue to play, and they’ll be a tough matchup for anybody that has to guard them. I think we saw them in different situations,” Wright said. “Our opponents probably don’t like when they see (all three of) them on the floor.
“They’re a tough matchup, and so we’ll continue to put them in situations for them to be at their best, and I think they’ll learn from this year on how they continue to play off one another and support one another, and we go from there.”
