Despite what the critics said when San Antonio signed De'Aaron Fox to a max extension, plenty of people still believe in his abilities (as they should). Swipa won the Clutch Player of the Year award the first year of its existence, but that was only three years ago. FanDuel's odds show that they still believe he stands a fair chance of winning that award again.
There are six names above him in the running with him, according to the oddsmakers, but technically, he's tied with Steph Curry for the fourth-best chance to pull it off.
Anthony Edwards
+900
Jalen Brunson
+1000
Luka Doncic
+1000
Nikola Jokic
+1000
Kevin Durant
+1200
Stephen Curry
+1500
De'Aaron Fox
+1500
These people who come up with these lines aren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but they're not often off base by an extreme amount. Spurs fans got a glimpse of some of that ability when he joined the team a few games before the All-Star Break. We just didn't get to see it enough. That should change this year with a reinvigorated team and a healthy shooting hand.
Spurs will need Fox's clutch ability more than ever
You don't want too many games coming down to a single possession. Too many things can go wrong. Thankfully, the term "clutch" isn't necessarily defined by what happens in games that close with seconds to go. It's there's more runway as players start to get tight once you hit that five-minute mark with a deficit of 10 points or less.
Jalen Brunson is the latest to win the award, and it was deserved. He was awesome last season. Fox doesn't necessarily have to win it again, but it would be nice if he remained somewhere in the top five when the votes are cast at the end of the season. He's going to have the ball in his hands a ton when the games hang in the balance.
His decision-making is going to be key in ensuring the Spurs come out of those tight ball games with a W. Victor Wembanyama is the best player. Let's be clear about that. But it's generally more difficult for a big man to get to bring the ball up the court, get to his spot, and get a good shot in the waning minutes of the game when the opposition's defense is usually at its peak.
That's just one of several reasons that elite guard play is necessary in the NBA. It's nice to finally have one again. Fox is going to help change the fortunes of this franchise faster than would have been possible had they not acquired him.