De'Aaron Fox hasn't been perfect, but he's stringing together some pretty good moments in this NBA Finals series for the Spurs. It's important to know that he's doing this while nursing an ankle injury. But a well-known NBA analyst seems to be a bit skeptical about what we're seeing from the two-time All-Star.
"I don't know if De'Aaron Fox is ever going to tell us, but he's doing some stuff to get himself to play," Brian Windhorst states on the Pat McAfee Show. "Because that ankle ain't right. He's got a high ankle sprain, and you can tell".
I can't confirm or deny if Fox is doing some "stuff" to stave off his ankle issues. But what I can say is this: with as much criticism as he's gotten through this postseason, he deserves an ample amount of credit for going out there and competing on the biggest stage of his NBA career.
It's obvious that De'Aaron Fox doesn't have the same step
If you've been a fan of De'Aaron Fox, it's obvious that his signature quick-twitch and lightning-fast downhill attack haven't been as prominent in this year's playoffs. Sure, he's had moments, but not consistently enough.
This is clearly not the same player that we saw through the regular season and in prior years. The NBA's premier speed demon hasn't been at 100% for the last few weeks, but you can't help but appreciate that he's still going out there and giving the Spurs a valiant effort.
He notched 20 points in Game 2 of the Knicks series and followed it up with the greatest clutch shot of his career in Game 3, securing a win for the Spurs in MSG. Even when he hasn't been scoring, San Antonio has benefited a ton from his additional ball-handling. Just ask Stephon Castle. He's been at his best from a turnover standpoint when sharing time with Fox.
Great players find ways to affect winning in a multitude of ways. Despite his injury situation, Fox is doing just that, almost operating as a Swiss Army knife for the Spurs' offense.
The Spurs still need as much as they can get from Fox as a scorer
Now, two things can be true at the same time. It's great that De'Aaron is putting together different ways to make an impact for the Spurs, but they still need him to be consistent as a shot creator.
In San Antonio's non-Wemby minutes, it's on Fox to orchestrate the offense and provide reliable scoring. Even when Victor is in the game, they still need those things from him. As the most experienced player in their starting lineup, he has to find ways to put points on the board.
Sure, we can blame his slower step, but some of his issues have been controllable. For example, he hasn't shot the three well, draining just two out of eleven attempts on the series. A lot of those shots are very easy catch-and-shoot looks.
That late fourth-quarter jumper in Game 3 proved that Fox can still provide a scoring punch for San Antonio despite his ankle problem. He's a warrior for sure, playing big minutes while nursing that injury, but his consistency as a shot-maker is a must-have for the Spurs if they want to tie the series up.
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