Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Carmelo Anthony: I think De'Aaron Fox as a young veteran, somebody who's been around this game for a while should understand that the pace of the game, understand the momentum of the game, which is why he's there, right? He's there to control the game, make big shots. He's a closer, too. This is what he does. These shots are shots that De'Aaron Fox usually take and make. So, when you have the trust factor is so high in San Antonio that Mitch trusts is De'Aaron Fox to go out there and win him basketball games and be successful in certain moments. Now, it comes a point now where you have to say "What's my end game adjustment right now?" And you have to put Dylan Harper in there a lot faster in that run. Take that away. I’m a Harrison Barnes guy.
Internally, the Spurs remain committed to Fox as their franchise starting point guard. Sources called De’Aaron Fox a calming presence and the team's closer for most of the season, adding that one rough series essentially playing on one leg doesn't change that. The four-year, $229 million contract extension Fox signed last summer kicks in next season, raising his salary from $37.1 million to $49.8 million. He's scheduled to make $61.7 million in the final year of the deal in 2029-30, when he'll be 32 years old. It's expected that calls from Harper's camp for a spot in the starting lineup will grow louder going into next season. But it's not an issue San Antonio needs to address right away. Fox's contract won't become a potential eyesore until after Wembanyama's upcoming rookie extension kicks in, and when the Spurs are looking next summer to extend Castle to what should be a max deal.
Patrick Beverley: "I think D'Aaron Fox was trash. I think he was god-awful. And I don't think that was because of him. I think because he was injured a little bit. I think the coach should have had him come off the bench and kind of went with what he had against OKC. I didn't like him just putting him in the starting lineup. But you live and you learn, and that's the difference between good coaches and elite coaches. There's no disrespect to coach Mitch, but elite coaches would have put D'Aaron Fox on the bench, let him get his rhythm, and went with what they had."
Cory Mose: Spurs locker room spoke about losing double digit leads in every game against the Knicks... I asked De'Aaron Fox if that was the most frustrating part about this series "Yea I think so, don't want to sit here and be like you were the better team but you know every game we were able to build up this lead and kind of just watch it wither away"
Advertisement
When talking with league insiders in the aftermath of Game 4, there was an emphasis on Spurs rookie guard Dylan Harper, and the potential for him to have greater involvement in the series moving forward, particularly after some late-game issues for De'Aaron Fox. Like throughout the regular season, Harper has come off the bench throughout the Finals, averaging 16.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in the series thus far, including 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting in 32 minutes in Game 4. But Harper was largely uninvolved down the stretch as Fox dominated the ball. That led multiple observers from other teams to suggest Harper as a bigger part of San Antonio's game plan going forward -- with one West executive saying the Spurs should slide Harper into the starting lineup for just the seventh time as a pro. "He's their second-best player," the executive said. "It's incredible how good he's become so quickly."
NBA on ESPN: "We love you and we need you." —Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff on the advice he would give De'Aaron Fox 👏
Dan Patrick Show: "Stop on De'Aaron Fox, he's playing with a high ankle sprain – probably shouldn't be playing. He would normally dunk that layup – if he would've dunked it, he's the hero..." – John Calipari on people blaming De'Aaron Fox for the #Spurs loss
Advertisement
Oh No He Didn't: De’Aaron Fox on the criticism he got after game 4: "It's not like people have my phone number and can call me. I don't watch those shows. It doesn't matter. It is what it is. You can't change it now. We're trying to move on from that"
Legion Hoops: Magic Johnson on De'Aaron Fox: “He should’ve pulled the ball back out… I think that play really hurt the Spurs. Wemby’s two free throws he missed hurt the spurs. De’Aaron is a point guard, you gotta know every situation. My job as a point guard was to know every situation.” (via @FirstTake , h/t @NBA__Courtside )
Iman Shumpert: Now, what I will say is me being a team an old teammate of De'Aaron Fox, De'Aaron Fox will kick himself for a while for that fourth quarter. I I'm not sure what happened. I don't mind all game for what everything that was going on. A lot of these plays, De'Aaron Fox knows better. The lackadaisical turnovers, especially the live ball turnovers that led to breakaways. The indecision, the step back threes that he never shoots and never settles for, but he just decided to do it yesterday.
