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San Antonio Spurs fans won’t have to wait long to see De’Aaron Fox take the court.
ESPN noted the team announced he will play in Wednesday’s game against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. San Antonio acquired Fox as part of the three-team deal that also saw his former team, the Sacramento Kings, land Zach Lavine from the Chicago Bulls.
“There’s no concern of ramping up, conditioning or whatnot,” acting Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said of Fox. “We know there will be a runway of learning our program and terminology. There will be some patience and some excitement on both sides from the group here waiting on them and then joining the group.
“It’ll just be something we work through and trying to expedite as much as possible without having a ton of practice time.”
The biggest thing to come of the three-team trade was the Spurs pairing Fox with Victor Wembanyama.
The point guard is signed through the 2025-26 campaign, and the front office will surely want to sign him to an extension so he and Wembanyama can serve as foundational cornerstones for years to come.
Fox is an excellent playmaker who is averaging 25.0 points, 6.1 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 32.2 percent from deep this season. The 2022-23 All-Star can be one of the best guards in the league and is just 27 years old.
He and Wembanyama can work in pick-and-rolls and lob situations, which will force opposing defenses into pick-their-poison situations.
If the pairing works right away, the Spurs will have a chance to make up ground in the Western Conference standings and be a force in the playoff picture. They are three games behind the Phoenix Suns for the final play-in spot and will look to hit the ground running Wednesday.
Having Fox available will help them do just that.
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