Another San Antonio Spurs star is officially finished for the year.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Thursday that Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox is set to undergo season-ending surgery to repair tendon damage in his left pinkie finger. The news means that Fox’s first year in San Antonio is done after just 17 games played.
Charania notes that Fox, a lefty shooter, initially suffered the injury during training camp in October (when he was still with the Sacramento Kings) and had been playing through it all season. Now Fox and the Spurs have made the decision for him to get the surgery now and expedite the healing process.
De'Aaron Fox practicing his shot
Feb 8, 2020; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) warms up before a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
The 27-year-old Fox, an All-Star as well as an All-NBA selection with Sacramento in 2022-23, was acquired by San Antonio in a three-team blockbuster trade last month. Since joining the Spurs, Fox had been averaging 19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Fox also just put up a monster 32-point, nine-rebound, 11-assist line in a win on Wednesday over the Dallas Mavericks.
But the Spurs are still quickly fading in the Western Conference standings at 27-37, which is five full games out of the play-in tournament. With San Antonio star center Victor Wembanyama also being ruled out for the year several weeks ago due to a blood-clotting issue, the Spurs are effectively pulling the plug on their season.
With Fox now set to miss the final 18 games of the season for San Antonio, rookie Stephon Castle will likely step into the starting lineup alongside Chris Paul. Castle is already viewed as the favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year this season and should get all the developmental minutes that he can handle in Fox’s absence.