Spurs fans can rejoice at the news that De'Aaron Fox is finally going to suit up on Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans. The front office has been fairly tight-lipped about his progress, repeating the same phrase, "He's trending the right way and ramping up." It was enough to drive the fans insane. They want to know what's going on with their star guard. That information has now been divulged.
Basically, Fox’s ramp-up took so long because they wanted to make sure he was ready to go in full once he returned. https://t.co/OOfoDHunP0
— Matthew Tynan (@Matthew_Tynan) November 7, 2025
That makes perfect sense and is one of the few answers Coach Mitch Johnson could have given to satiate Spurs Nation. The last thing anyone wants is for D. Fox to re-aggravate the injury because he came back too soon. But that's why San Antonio's medical staff is one of the best in the business. They're going to make sure their guys are taken care of, above anything else.
By the time Swipa enters the lineup, the team will have played eight games without him. No matter what happens in the Rockets' game, they're going to have a winning record when he returns. If you ask me, they've done their job and then some. But that doesn't mean that there won't be struggles, and we've already seen some of them.
Fox will fix many of San Antonio's offensive issues
Losing Dylan Harper has really affected this offense. Stephon Castle has the makings of a breakout year beneath the surface, but he's still playing out of position. Once Fox comes back, he'll take the reins, and Castle will get a chance to thrive in his natural role. It's a challenge to operate at the peak of your powers without a true floor general, but Coach Johnson isn't making any excuses.
Mitch Johnson on operating without two of his big time playmakers pic.twitter.com/pKSMp1UjHM
— Jah (@JahlilWill) November 8, 2025
Mitch's "no excuses" mindset has permeated throughout the team. That's the only way they would have been able to get off to such a strong start with so many key players in street clothes. That 5-0 record didn't come out of nowhere. This is a good team with strong foundational pieces, and they believe in themselves.
It sounds like a simple concept, but it can be easy to lose confidence as a young team when things start going wrong. The beauty of the game is that something will almost always go wrong, though. Good teams find a way to navigate and mitigate problems, and great teams do so quickly.
They've done a good job of working things out in the game so far, for the most part, but it becomes increasingly difficult without your second-best player. Now that Spurs Nation knows that their savior is coming back at full strength, we can all breathe the sigh of relief we've needed desperately.