One of the most interesting moments of the Spurs’ 2025 media day came near the end. When it came De’Aaron Fox’s turn to speak, the star point guard surprised attendees by stating that his hamstring feels good, but he expects the team to hold him out for preseason, and he thinks he won’t be out there on opening night.
It was a strange moment because while Mitch Johnson said the franchise would be cautious with all of its injured players, he didn’t mention that Fox was expected to be out. Making things more confusing, Fox himself prefaced the news by saying he feels like he’s ready to play:
“I feel good. I mean, I feel like I could have played a little bit ago, but they are not letting me,” Fox said with a smile. “We are taking it day by day, but I feel great.”
When asked if he was going to suit up for camp or preseason, he said he didn’t think he was going to play in preseason, and he wouldn’t be ready for opening night.
“I think I’m ready, but I don’t have that expertise. But we go off on how I feel, and, like I said, I feel like I can go out there and play right now.”
The comments seem somewhat contradictory, as Fox repeatedly said he feels like he can play and that the team is going off how he feels, while also stating that the medical staff has not cleared him yet and might not clear him for opening night, close to a month from now. He clarified that he never had a hamstring injury, so he doesn’t really know how it’s supposed to feel, but the overall sentiment seemed to be that he wants to play and feels he can, but is following the team’s advice.
As unfortunate as the news is, being cautious makes a lot of sense. It’s possible Dylan Harper also misses time, as Mitch Johnson mentioned he’s not been cleared for contact yet. Even with those two out or limited for a while, San Antonio needs to take the long view entering a season in which there are realistic playoff hopes. The roster has depth in the backcourt, as well. Stephon Castle is healthy and ready after working out in the offseason. Devin Vassell can create off the dribble in a pinch. Even veteran Jordan McLaughlin could provide a steady hand and some shooting off the bench for a handful of minutes. There shouldn’t be a need for experimentation.
At the same time, potentially not having Harper and especially Fox available does lower the ceiling of the team in the short term and could delay the development of chemistry between two of the newest Spurs and their teammates. Harper is a rookie who might not get major minutes right away, but Fox is expected to be the engine of the offense. He could only play a handful of games next to Victor Wembanyama last season before the big man was shut down due to deep vein thrombosis. Preseason was expected to be the time when they would work on their two-man game, and now they won’t be able to. Even if Fox is back before the reported target day of November 1, the team will be behind schedule.
While keeping the team afloat and clicking if Fox misses time will be a collective effort, the pressure and the opportunity to prove he can be a lead guard will fall on Castle. The reigning Rookie of the Year mentioned that his focus this offseason was on-ball shot creation. The Spurs will need it. Last season, the Silver and Black’s offensive rating plummeted when Chris Paul wasn’t on the court, and the assist and turnover numbers got worse. Castle is not a season floor general like Paul, but he will be counted on not just to get his shot off but to find others while remaining in control. It will be a challenge, but if the reps accelerate Castle’s development as a playmaker, Fox’s absence could have a silver lining.
The news about Fox’s injury is undeniably bad, but far from catastrophic. If he only misses a handful of games, the Spurs should be fine. As it happened with Devin Vassell missing preseason and the start of the 2024/25 year, absences can delay the development of cohesion, but this version of the team is more talented than last year’s and should be able to survive a five-game stretch without its star point guard.
Spurs fans have waited a long time to see how good the Fox-Wembanyama duo could be once the two develop some chemistry. It seems more patience will be required, but if the results are as good as most people expect, it will all be worth it.