SAN ANTONIO — De’Aaron Fox doesn’t want to be the guy anymore.
Most of his life, that was his role. He was the dynamic lightning bolt who spearheaded powerful offenses. He was a defensive pest who could be a one-man fast break. He was the Clutch Player of the Year, the guy who closed games out every time.
But he’s in a different phase of his career and his life. Now, he wants to be the other great player, not the face of the franchise.
Fox signed a maximum contract extension this offseason, cementing himself as the big dog among the vets on this San Antonio Spurs team. But he’s not delusional. He knows this is Victor Wembanyama’s team.
That could have made him uncomfortable or made him want to prove he deserves the spotlight. But Fox’s message all season has been consistent: He is here to support Wembanyama. He’s the sidekick, and he’s proud of it.
When asked why he wanted to send that message in his first few weeks of the season, his eyes grew wide.
“I mean, that’s Vic,” Fox said. “We see the talent that he has, and we know that he could be one of the greatest players. But as he’s trying to get there, you don’t go through that on your own.
“I think all great players have played with other great players.”
That’s the key to Fox’s fit in the Spurs’ (literal) big picture. Wembanyama has often referred to the Spurs as a puzzle. While he’s the largest piece in there, Fox is not far behind.
The challenge is for Fox to figure out how to be the sidekick while still being himself. He’s aggressive, not afraid to take the biggest shots. He missed the last one against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night to seal a defeat. He hit several key ones Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings, his former team, to lead San Antonio to a 123-110 win while Wembanyama sat out with calf tightness.
So how does Fox play like the clutch maestro he has been while still facilitating Wembanyama’s ascent?
After all, the Spurs were just fine with Fox sidelined to start this season. Stephon Castle was demonstrating his step forward after winning last season’s Rookie of the Year. Wembanyama was busy taking on double teams all night long, becoming the offensive hub. Dylan Harper quickly showed why he’s the point guard of the future. Fox has to prove he’s mandatory for this team to get where it wants without getting in the way of his younger teammates’ development. That’s a tough balancing act.
So far, though, Fox has been all smiles. That buy-in has helped him fit in cleanly with the 9-4 Spurs since returning from an offseason hamstring strain, even as he figures out how he fits in this nascent offense. Winning feels a lot more special than commandeering.
“The level of engagement and commitment to want to be here, it’s very clear we have the face of our franchise and (Fox is) comfortable with that and everyone around him is,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “I think for De’Aaron to be one of the faces of his franchise prior to joining our group and wanting to really be here and show that desire, it helps set the tone for everybody else. Because he has been someone who’s been in similar shoes, where he’s been the max guy and the big dog with his group.
“So it really empowers me (to) coach them hard and keep them accountable when you have some of the guys at the forefront with that type of mindset.”
Fox got a brief moment to remember what it was like to be all on his own Sunday against his former team. He came out for the second half without the other three ringleaders of the Spurs offense — Wembanyama was a late scratch, Harper is out for a while with his own calf strain and Castle left at halftime with a hip issue. Like so often when he wore a Kings jersey, Fox had the keys to the offense in his hand and took over, notching a game-high 28 points and 11 assists.
The Kings drafted him as their franchise point guard. They stuck with him, trading Tyrese Haliburton for Domantas Sabonis. They believed he was the guy to carry them.
But they also could never keep a coach in place for too long, nor could they provide much hope that a championship was in sight. And they moved on from him.
“Sometimes you can be freed of decision-making when you have less options to choose from,” Johnson said. “You got the big fella to (keep) happy, when Steph plays (as well), so (Fox) probably could be a little bit more aggressive tonight. Not have to play nice.”
Fox does well playing nice. He spins praise back to his teammates in interviews and exudes little ego. The sharper edges of his confidence reveal themselves more when he’s having fun than when he’s locking in.
It’s been easy to have fun in this environment, as the Spurs are riding a wave of good vibes early in a successful season. The team’s bumps in the road have come and gone smoothly. Three of their four losses came down to the final minute. They’re sixth in the NBA in net rating.
Things have changed. Fox is the starting point guard next to Wembanyama, the kind of center with whom players like him dream of sharing the floor. The Spurs have put a level of trust in Fox to lead in a way that clears the path for Wembanyama to trail behind and take over the league.
Fox has already walked his path alone. The only things he has left to prove come in May and June. He knows he needs to be a great player alongside the greatest player. He’s saying the right things.
Now he has to prove he can do it.
