De’aaron Fox Spurs Return Was INSANE

De’aaron Fox Spurs Return Was INSANE

Darren Fox made his Spurs debut yesterday, returning from injury. Very impressive. 24 points in 31 minutes. Let’s start out with his first assist. A very simple but effective way to use his speed. The defender off the ball believes he’s just a spacer, so the sudden burst to receive the screen creates initial separation. And Barnes connects perfectly. Now they have to switch. The problem is both defenders take Wemi rolling, leaving Barnes wide open. A guy who’s been shooting 50% from deep to start the year. That’s a great play to showcase what Darren Fox and Webby can do for their teammates. And my goodness, he took over in the second quarter. 15 points during that stretch. He starts it out by receiving a WeB screen. Fox reads the defender perfectly. All Herb Jones is worried about is not getting screened. So, a quick between back the other way works to perfection. Now, if you’re the defender, it’s all about recovering, trying to get back in front. The thing is, Fox plants his foot, step back, ample space created, watching that back full speed. It’s a work of art. The pace and the footwork really sticks out to me. You really got to enjoy the hustle from De’aran Fox on this one. But also, this shows the state of the Pelicans. Not enough fight from their group. Clearly quite embarrassing. Very ballsy decision by José Alvarado. Fullcourt pressuring De’aran Fox. I say that because look at the speed. You can’t stay in front of that. What are we doing here now? Just like that. He has two defenders occupied near the paint. He decides to shoot, but also he has Lindy Waters wide open if he deferred. Once again, offense being generated from his speed just like Herb Jones was doing a couple plays earlier. Alvarado very worried about this screen and that turn of the head is a signal for Fox to change directions with a speed boost. Seems like a miscommunication from the Pelicans as well. Derek Queen and José Alvarado just looking at each other perplexed after getting dusted. The Pelicans switch the WBY screen most likely because if they don’t, Fox is getting to the basket with his quickness. He feeds WBY. Quick double team, quick pass, and Fox is well beyond the three-point line. He doesn’t hesitate though, and these are the shots defenses will dare him to take and make. Career 33% three-point shooter. But based on that play, he seems very confident right now. Hopefully that means he can get back to where he was in the 2023 24 season. He shot 36% on high volume, 7.8 attempts per game to be exact. Then to end off his takeover in the second, he takes the rookie to the mid post. Quick shimmy shakes, has the defender tweaking. Eventually, he commits to it and hits the jumper, fading away. The game got tight and Fox had winning plays when it mattered most. Great screen from Jeremy Sohan to free him up. Derek Queen has no chance to stay in front. Two guys are on him. Now you have a one-on- two situation on the perimeter. Easy pass, easy three. And as you guys know, during the 2022 23 season when the Kings made that playoff run, surprisingly, he was the clutch player of the year and it seemed like he made every clutch shot. It It was wild. You got a glimpse of that yesterday. Three-point game. The floor is spaced. He has no fear. So, he just goes right at Trey Murphy. Sneaky hand check. He didn’t fully extend. So, it’s not a foul. Clearly that bump was effective though because Murphy, you know, gets pushed back and now you got enough space to get off that floater. It’s a three-point game once again. They get the matchup they want between the legs, ball fake, and the rookie makes a rookie mistake reacting a ton. Now Fox can step through and hit that old reliable, the floater. And I think this was a perfect game showcasing what the Spurs need from De’aran Fox. He just needs to, you know, have that takeover ability during spurts like you saw in the second quarter and then he was kind of quiet, but then he comes back in the fourth quarter and makes clutch play after clutch play. As you can tell, when the game slows down, you can give him the rock space out the floor and he will produce. Having another option outside of Wembi with this takeover ability down the stretch is very key for the Spurs because although we see WMY is definitely taking that leap, let’s not forget this is also an adjustment period for WBY. Teams are throwing the kitchen sink at him. He struggled against Phoenix for that reason. Los Angeles as well. He’s not going to be perfect. He’s going to have inefficient games. So having a guy like Darren Fox who’s been there, done that. Victor needs that type of relief on the team and as a group it will just make them more dynamic. It was a great return for De’Aran Fox in my opinion. Let me know your thoughts below. Do you agree? Do you disagree?

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