De'Aaron Fox wanted to join the San Antonio Spurs specifically because he saw a future in which he and Victor Wembanyama spearhead a team that annually contends for a championship. Fox has played just 18 games with the team after making his season debut this weekend, but his vision of the future appears to be much closer than even the most optimistic Spurs fan hoped for.
Now 7-2 and tied with the Nuggets for No. 2 in the West, the Spurs are closer to contention than any Kings team De'Aaron Fox ever played for. He's never had a teammate like Wembanyama, he's never had backcourt mates like Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, and he's never been part of a roster with this much depth at every position.
Even if you don't believe the Spurs are contenders in 2025-26, this team provides Fox the chance to get closer to NBA immortality than he's ever been. His best season with the Kings — which was thrilling — still ended in a first-round exit. That's a possible outcome for the Spurs this year too, but it feels like the floor, rather than the ceiling like it was for those Kings.
Plus, you should probably believe the Spurs are contenders in 2025-26. At this point, they've done everything necessary to show they're at least on the outskirts of contending.
The Spurs might already be the contenders De'Aaron Fox hoped for
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With each passing day, it feels less ludicrous to call the Spurs contenders. The rim protection will be elite as long as Wembanyama is on the floor, the pick-and-roll threat with he and Fox will be ever-present, Stephon Castle [has burst on the scene](https://airalamo.com/stephon-castle-surprising-role-start-spurs-season) as an elite defender himself, the frontcourt has real depth (and will get deeper when Luke Kornet returns), and there's plenty of untapped upside with the rookies on the roster.
And the early results are as promising as the personnel. Currently, the Spurs are No. 5 in net rating, sitting at No. 6 both offensively and defensively. Top ten blocks (duh), steals, and free throw attempts are all promising numbers.
There's no crazy shooting luck, either. The Spurs are No. 19 in 3-pointers made and No. 16 in 3-point percentage, which both feel about right for this Spurs team. They're also No. 21 in turnovers per game, so things should actually get sharper as the season progresses.
De'Aaron Fox helped lead the Kings back to the playoffs for the first time in 175 years, and he deserves tons of credit for that. But he's never played on a team like this Spurs squad, and we're merely scratching the surface of what this team can achieve. Quickly, Fox's wish to compete at a high level has been granted.