By Michael C. Wright | ESPN, 2025-03-07 20:00:00
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
在霜冻银行中心 （Frost Bank Center）的圣安东尼奥马刺队更衣室旁的一条走廊里， 达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox)独自一人在举铁，此时他的新队友们早已回家休息。
午夜临近，福克斯还需要一次象征性的提升。这将涉及最终卸下他肩上沉重的负担——他曾经在萨克拉门托国王队统治的世界，那段他从未想结束的统治。
“我真的想为一支球队效力我的整个职业生涯，”福克斯告诉ESPN，“我真的想那样。”
周五，福克斯将重返萨克拉门托打球，这是自2月3日球队将他交易到马刺队以来，他首次回到这里。这笔交易涉及多支球队、多名球员和选秀权。这位27岁的球员最终来到了他梦寐以求的地方，在一支由划时代的天才球星 维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)和未来的名人堂成员 克里斯·保罗 (Chris Paul)领衔的球队效力，身边还有一群前途光明的年轻球员。
福克斯坚称，他“从未要求被交易”离开这支在2017年选秀大会上用第五顺位选中他的球队。
“我爱那里，”谈到萨克拉门托，他说，“每个人都流淌着紫色的血液。去杂货店，去餐馆总是很棒。那里的人都非常友善。当我们开始赢球时，‘点亮光束’的光芒照耀着城市的每个角落。你真的能感受到这一点。所以，在我待在那里的时候，那绝对是一个很棒的地方。”
然后，几乎是突然之间，一切都变了。
萨克拉门托本赛季开局不利，战绩为13胜18负，这导致球队管理层解雇了主教练 迈克·布朗 (Mike Brown)。此时，距离布朗执教国王队还不到三年，距离球队在夏天奖励他一份利润丰厚的多年续约合同还不到七个月——而这份合同正是福克斯极力促成的。
福克斯原本将在2025-26赛季进入他五年合同的最后一年，他曾在今年夏天警告球队，他已经厌倦了主教练位置上的频繁更迭，并在休赛期拒绝续约。因此，当国王队解雇布朗时，福克斯觉得他在萨克拉门托的时光也走到了尽头。
“当时我就想，‘伙计，我已经在这里待了快八年了。如果迈克被解雇了，我将迎来我的第五位教练，’”福克斯告诉ESPN，“而且我告诉他们，‘我不会再为另一位教练效力了。我要去另一支球队。’”
大约一周前 ，布朗同意了一份到2026-27赛季的续约合同，其中包括2024-25赛季涨薪至850万美元。但在那之前，主教练和球队管理层搁置了谈判，因为双方在潜在交易的条款上仍存在分歧。
2022-23赛季，福克斯首次入选全明星，并赢得了首届关键球先生奖，还入选了NBA最佳阵容三阵。布朗带领萨克拉门托时隔18年重返西部季后赛，并获得了他第二次NBA年度最佳教练奖。国王队以3号种子的身份进入了那个赛季的季后赛，但在首轮以七场大战不敌金州勇士队。
上个赛季，排名第九的国王队在附加赛中输给了新奥尔良鹈鹕队。
尽管如此，福克斯还是敦促萨克拉门托与主教练续约，尽管有些队友希望布朗被解雇。自从国王队在2017年选中福克斯以来，福克斯曾在 戴夫·乔尔格 (Dave Joerger)、 卢克·沃顿 (Luke Walton)、 阿尔文·金特里 (Alvin Gentry)和布朗手下打球。乔尔格执教的三个赛季是福克斯效力7年半期间国王队教练中最长的，而布朗在执教国王队超过50场比赛的主教练中，胜率（.549）排名第四。
“在迈克的续约谈判期间，更衣室里有些人不想要迈克，”福克斯说，“有些人想在夏天解雇他。……但我不会说[是谁]。”
布朗签下了他的新合同，但国王队本赛季开局不利，接连输给了洛杉矶湖人队和明尼苏达森林狼队。然后，在布朗12月27日被解雇前的31场比赛中，他们输掉了12场比赛中的8场。在布朗被解雇时，国王队在第四节领先的情况下输掉了9场比赛，是NBA中最多的，并且正经历着五连败。
在布朗被解雇的前一天晚上，萨克拉门托在比赛还剩不到三分钟时还保持着10分的领先优势。 杰登·艾维 (Jaden Ivey)被福克斯犯规，在比赛还剩3秒时，他在右角命中一记三分球，随后又罚中一球，完成了四分球，帮助底特律活塞队以114-113获胜。
事后，布朗公开批评福克斯在比赛中犯下的决定性失误，但这位控球后卫并没有往心里去。福克斯欣赏他的教练给他的严厉的爱。
布朗的最后一项举动之一就是公开批评福克斯，从外界看来，似乎是福克斯要求解雇了主教练。福克斯说他仍然每周都和布朗通话，甚至在抵达圣安东尼奥后，还要向马刺队的工作人员澄清关于他和前教练之间存在紧张关系的传言。最让福克斯感到困扰的是，尽管萨克拉门托发布了一份关于布朗被解雇的声明，但球队直到40天后，在福克斯已经被交易之后，才公开与记者讨论这一举动。
“你解雇了教练，却不做采访？”福克斯说，“所以，所有的责任都落在了我身上。这让我感到压力了吗？没有。我不在乎。但事实上，你们本应该保护你们的球员，但你们却让这种事情发生……当时我觉得球队并没有站在我这边。”
联盟中的教练们普遍批评了布朗的下课。丹佛掘金队主教练 迈克尔·马龙 (Michael Malone)曾在萨克拉门托担任主教练，他说球队“没有品格，没有胆量”。金州勇士队主教练 史蒂夫·科尔 (Steve Kerr)说：“当你想想在迈克到来之前，那支球队是什么样的时候，[这]真的令人震惊。”布朗曾在勇士队担任了六个赛季的助理教练。
在布朗被解雇后的第二天晚上，几位国王队球员表达了对他们前主教练的尊重。
中锋 多曼塔斯·萨博尼斯 (Domantas Sabonis)说：“为了我和我的职业生涯，他把我放在一个能够成功的位置上，并给了我很大的信心。他帮助我塑造了我在NBA的职业生涯。这只是生意的一部分。事情就是这样发生的。我不知道。我睡着的时候发生了这件事。我被这个消息吵醒了。”
后卫 马利克·蒙克 (Malik Monk)表达了他对布朗的“能量和他对比赛的热情”的赞赏。
福克斯说，与此同时，他从未与球队谈论过布朗的解雇，因为他已经在夏天表达了自己的观点，而且没有任何改变。福克斯认为他会履行完合同，并在时机到来时签约其他球队。
“能量发生了变化，心照不宣，”他说，“如果我完成了我在那里的合同，那么他们就知道接下来会发生什么，那是因为你们解雇了另一位教练。这就是为什么我在迈克被解雇后在洛杉矶[12月28日]接受采访时说，他们知道我的立场，没什么好说的了。”
1月27日晚上 ，在福克斯在布鲁克林以110-96的客场胜利中拿下30分和7次助攻后，国王队联系了福克斯的经纪人，Klutch Sports Group的 里奇·保罗 (Rich Paul)。国王队向保罗解释说，他们将听取来自球队的关于福克斯的潜在交易报价。
理所当然地，保罗通知了他的客户。第二天，在费城，在117-104的失利之前，国王队在福克斯的酒店房间里找到了他，告诉他他们前一天晚上告诉保罗的事情。
“我们坐在那里试图进行对话，但我知道他要告诉我什么，因为里奇已经告诉我了，”福克斯说，但他没有透露他与球队中的哪位成员交谈过，“一位记者打电话试图爆料，但请注意，我们的总经理还没有告诉我。所以，在我们的球队告诉我之前，就已经被告知了。”
国王队内部的一位消息人士说，福克斯拒绝了“几次续约”报价、福克斯的公开评论以及俱乐部和球员之间的私人对话，这些因素共同促成了萨克拉门托决定在交易截止日之前交易他。消息人士说，球队仍然高度评价福克斯对球队和这座城市的所有贡献。
福克斯告诉国王队，圣安东尼奥是他首选的目的地，因为马刺队年轻而富有运动天赋，更不用说与冉冉升起的超级巨星文班亚马搭档的想法了。福克斯记得布朗——一位前圣安东尼奥助教——经常告诉他，要想在季后赛中获胜，“你必须能够防守”。有了文班亚马在场上，圣安东尼奥似乎肯定有能力做到这一点。
一旦保罗告知萨克拉门托福克斯希望加盟马刺队，就有报道称福克斯告诉俱乐部他有一份首选球队名单。
“没有他妈的名单，”福克斯说，“只有一支球队。我想去圣安东尼奥。所以，很多人对我感到生气，说我通过给他们一个目的地来束缚球队。好吧，这是我的职业生涯。如果其他人处于我的位置，你也会做同样的事情。帮助你们建立球队不是我的工作。我不打算去他们想让我去的地方。我想要一个目的地。”
2月3日，福克斯如愿以偿，圣安东尼奥宣布了他的加盟，那天是他的儿子 雷恩 (Reign)两岁生日。福克斯直到两天后在亚特兰大才完成了他在圣安东尼奥的首秀。他成为球队历史上第一位在马刺队首秀中拿下至少20分和10次助攻的球员。他在一场126-125的胜利中得到或助攻了56分。
在比赛还剩2.9秒，比分战成125平的那场比赛中，保罗向福克斯发出了界外球，马刺队执行了一个高位挡拆。当文班亚马向篮下移动时， 德安德烈·亨特 (De’Andre Hunter)跑过来与 戴森·丹尼尔斯 (Dyson Daniels)一起包夹福克斯。当防守者逼近时，福克斯向文班亚马传出一记高吊球。
奥涅卡·奥孔古 (Onyeka Okongwu)在文班亚马试图双手灌篮时犯规，为这位法国天才球员打进了制胜的罚球铺平了道路。
圣安东尼奥代理主教练 米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson)在福克斯在亚特兰大的马刺队首秀后表示：“他已经成为一名精英球员很长时间了。他充满活力。他将为我们的球队开启一个完全不同的元素。任何进攻的目标，无论你怎么分析，都是试图在你有能够在运球时获得优势的球员时获得优势。他是联盟中能够做到这一点的球员之一。”
福克斯说 ，他在萨克拉门托提出的唯一真正的要求是国王队引进有活力的侧翼球员（比如布鲁克林的 卡梅隆·约翰逊 (Cameron Johnson)）。福克斯认为，大多数冠军球队都依赖于像密尔沃基的 扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 (Giannis Antetokounmpo)和波士顿的 杰伦·布朗 (Jaylen Brown)和 杰森·塔图姆 (Jayson Tatum)这样的顶级侧翼球员。
“这是我唯一的要求，”他说，“我告诉 基冈·穆雷 (Keegan Murray)，我不知道有多少人会同意我的看法。但我说，‘伙计，联盟中最好的球队，除了 斯蒂芬·库里 (Stephen Curry)和金州勇士队之外，他们最好的球员通常都是侧翼。侧翼赢下比赛。’”
文班亚马拥有胜任这一角色的多面性。但圣安东尼奥已经拥有许多有前途的侧翼球员，比如 斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle)、 德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell)和 杰里米·索汉 (Jeremy Sochan)——他们都只有24岁或更小。福克斯承认，文班亚马是“我来这里的原因”，因为这位身高7英尺的球员在攻防两端都具有多面性。
“他太独特了，”福克斯说，“球员运球到禁区，看到他，[然后]他们会想，‘好吧，我不上篮了。’我以前从未和这样的球员一起打过球。首先，他是一个空接威胁。他也是一个挡拆后顺下或者外弹的球员。他也在继续学习比赛。”
由于右肩深静脉血栓形成，马刺队在2月20日停止了文班亚马的比赛。因此，福克斯只和这位21岁的法国人在五场比赛中并肩作战，几乎没有提供任何关于这对组合未来会是什么样子的证据。
在福克斯和文班亚马短暂的合作的120分钟里，圣安东尼奥的净效率值为负2.4。这对组合共执行了46次持球挡拆，福克斯作为控球手，文班亚马作为掩护者。这些进攻平均每次直接挡拆只得到0.77分。
至少可以说效率很低。福克斯在五场比赛中只给文班亚马送出了10次助攻。根据Second Spectrum的数据，在半场阵地进攻中，福克斯向文班亚马传球31次，而这位法国人向福克斯传球24次。
福克斯说：“和一位超级巨星一起打球并不容易，因为很明显，首先，他们需要球权。其次，他们需要很多的关注。这就像和斯蒂芬一起打球一样。不是每个人都能和斯蒂芬一起打球，因为你总是要寻找他。但归根结底，那家伙可以赢得总冠军，我认为维克可以赢得总冠军。所以，你当然想继续打你的比赛。但你要学会如何利用这样的人打球。他自己就能让一支球队变得非常特别。”
福克斯也可以。保罗从这么多年和他对阵的经历中了解到这一点。
在3月1日与孟菲斯灰熊队的一场令人窒息的比赛的最后时刻，当场上局势紧张，人群变得喧闹时，保罗从替补席上尖叫着。
“福克斯！福克斯！”保罗站在记分台附近大喊，“去拿球！”
福克斯横切球场，从 斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 手中接过球权。
在比赛还剩10.7秒，新秀 杰伦·威尔斯 (Jaylen Wells)作为主要防守者站在福克斯面前时， 斯科蒂·皮蓬二世 (Scotty Pippen Jr.)跑过来包夹这位马刺队新后卫。福克斯迅速传球给瓦塞尔，瓦塞尔在还剩8.3秒时将球传了回去。
保罗说：“我和他交过手。我防守过福克斯。我知道那是什么感觉。无论他投什么球，我都接受。”
当皮蓬再次靠近与威尔斯一起形成另一次包夹时，福克斯打开引擎，冲向油漆区，然后在急停，看着威尔斯从他身边飞过。当 圣地·阿尔达马 (Santi Aldama)滑步过来防守时，福克斯起身投出一个后仰跳投，球在比赛还剩1.8秒时空心入网。
马刺队以130-128获胜，结束了他们为期一个月的牛仔客场之旅。
在加入圣安东尼奥参加那次客场之旅之前，福克斯和他的前球队已经连续客场打了将近两周。在孟菲斯获胜的两天后，福克斯和他的家人正式完成了搬到圣安东尼奥的举动。
“无论我打得怎么样，不知为何，最后一球总是能进，”他说，“我想我是把最好的留到最后了。”
点击查看原文：How Mike Brown's firing ended De'Aaron Fox's time with the Kings
How Mike Brown’s firing ended De’Aaron Fox’s time with the Kings
DOWN A HALLWAY adjacent to the San Antonio Spurs’ locker room at Frost Bank Center, De’Aaron Fox pumped iron alone, long after all his new teammates had gone home for the night.
As midnight approached, Fox needed one more figurative lift. This would involve finally pushing off his shoulders the weight of the former world he once ruled with the Sacramento Kings during the reign he never wanted to end.
“I truly wanted to play for one team my whole career,” Fox told ESPN. “I really did.”
Fox returns to play in Sacramento on Friday, the first time since the franchise traded him Feb. 3 to the Spurs as part of a three-team deal involving multiple players and draft picks. The 27-year old landed exactly where he had hoped, playing on a squad headlined by generational superstar Victor Wembanyama and first-ballot Hall of Famer Chris Paul, flanked by a slew of prospects poised for a bright future in San Antonio.
Fox insists he “never asked for a trade,” from the franchise that drafted him fifth in 2017.
“I loved it,” he said of Sacramento. “Everybody bled purple. It was always great just going to the grocery store, going out to a restaurant. Everybody there was extremely kind. And when we started winning, then it was ‘light the beam’ everywhere. You really felt it around the city. So, it was definitely a great place to be for as long as I was.”
Then, almost suddenly, it wasn’t.
Sacramento stumbled to a 13-18 start this season, leading the brass to fire coach Mike Brown less than halfway through his third year leading the Kings and less than seven months after the franchise rewarded him with a lucrative multiyear extension over the summer – one that Fox had lobbied for.
Fox, who was set in 2025-26 to enter the final year of his five-year contract, had warned the organization this summer that he was tiring of all the turnover at the head coaching position and declined to sign an extension during the offseason. So when the Kings fired Brown, Fox felt that his time in Sacramento had come to an end, too.
“I was like, ‘Yo, I’ve been here for going on my eighth year. If Mike gets fired, I’ll be going on my fifth coach,’” Fox told ESPN. “And I told them, ‘I’m not going to play for another coach. I’m going to play for another team.’”
APPROXIMATELY A WEEK before Brown agreed to a contract extension through the 2026-27 season that included a raise to $8.5 million for 2024-25, the coach and the organization had tabled negotiations because the sides remained at odds on terms of the potential deal.
With Fox earning his first All-Star nod in 2022-23, in addition to winning the inaugural Clutch Player of the Year Award and earning recognition on the All-NBA third team, Brown had led Sacramento to the Western Conference playoffs for the first time in 18 years on the way to seizing his second NBA Coach of the Year award. The Kings entered that postseason as the No. 3 seed and fell in the opening round to the Golden State Warriors in seven games.
Last season, the ninth-seeded Kings lost to the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament.
Still, Fox urged Sacramento to sign the coach to an extension, despite some teammates wanting Brown fired. Since the Kings drafted Fox in 2017, Fox had played under Dave Joerger, Luke Walton, Alvin Gentry and Brown. Joerger’s three seasons were the most of any Kings coach Fox played for in his 7½ seasons, while Brown ranks fourth all time in win percentage (.549) among head coaches to coach 50-plus games for the Kings.
“During Mike’s extension talks, some guys in the locker room didn’t want Mike,” Fox said. “Some guys wanted him to be fired during the summer. … But I’m not going to say [who].”
Brown signed his new deal, but the Kings started this season with losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Then, they dropped eight of 12 games leading into Brown’s Dec. 27 firing 31 games into the season. At the time of Brown’s termination, the Kings had lost an NBA-worst nine contests after leading in the fourth quarter and were reeling from a five-game skid.
Sacramento clung to a 10-point lead the night before Brown’s ouster with fewer than three minutes remaining. Fouled by Fox, Jaden Ivey converted a four-point play with 3 ticks left by drilling a 3-pointer in the right corner and subsequent free throw to give the Detroit Pistons a 114-113 win.
In the aftermath, Brown criticized Fox publicly for the game-deciding gaffe, but the point guard didn’t take it personally. Fox appreciated the tough love from his coach.
With one of Brown’s final acts being the public criticism of Fox, it seemed from the outside that Fox had called for the coach’s firing. Fox, who says he still talks to Brown every week, even had to dispel rumors about tension with his former coach among the Spurs’ staffers upon arriving in San Antonio. What bothered Fox most is that although Sacramento released a statement addressing Brown’s firing, the organization didn’t discuss the move publicly with reporters until 40 days later, after the guard had already been traded.
“You fire the coach, and you don’t do an interview?” Fox said. “So, all the blame was on me. Did it weigh on me? No. I don’t give a f—. But the fact y’all are supposed to be protecting your player and y’all let that happen. … I felt at the time the organization didn’t have my back.”
Coaches around the league widely criticized Brown’s dismissal. Denver’s Michael Malone, a former head coach in Sacramento, said the organization had “no class, no balls.” Steve Kerr of Golden State, where Brown served six seasons as an assistant, said, “when you think about where that franchise was before Mike got there, [it’s] really shocking.”
The night after Brown was fired, several Kings players expressed their respect for their former head coach.
“In the interest of me and my career, he put me in a situation to succeed and gave me a lot of confidence,” center Domantas Sabonis said. “He’s helped me form my career in the NBA. It’s just part of the business. Things happen that way. I had no idea. I was sleeping when this happened. I got woken up by the news.”
Guard Malik Monk expressed an appreciation for Brown’s “energy, the passion he had for the game.”
Fox, meanwhile, never spoke to the organization about Brown’s firing, he said, because he had already expressed his opinion over the summer, and nothing had changed. Fox figured he would play out his contract and sign elsewhere once the time came.
“The energy shifted and what’s understood doesn’t need to be explained,” he said. “If I finished my contract there, then they knew what was going to happen next and it was because y’all fired another coach. That’s why I said in the interview after Mike was fired and we were in L.A. [on Dec. 28], they knew where I stood and there was nothing more to be said.”
THE KINGS APPROACHED Fox’s agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group, the night of Jan. 27, after the guard racked up 30 points and 7 assists in a 110-96 road victory in Brooklyn. The Kings explained to Paul they would be listening to potential trade offers from teams inquiring about the guard.
Naturally, Paul informed his client. The next day, in Philadelphia, ahead of a 117-104 loss, the Kings sought out Fox in his hotel room to tell him what they had told Paul the night before.
“We’re sitting there trying to have the conversation, but I know what he’s about to tell me because Rich had already told me,” said Fox, who didn’t reveal which member of the organization he spoke with. “A reporter calls trying to break the story, but mind you, our GM hasn’t told me yet. So, it had already been told, even before I was told by our team.”
A source within the Kings organization said the combination of Fox declining “a couple of extension” offers, Fox’s public comments and private conversations between the club and the player led to Sacramento deciding it needed to move him ahead of the trade deadline. The organization still holds Fox in high regard for all of his contributions to the franchise and the city, the source said.
Fox relayed to the Kings that San Antonio was his preferred destination due to the Spurs’ youth and athleticism, not to mention the idea of pairing with budding superstar Wembanyama. Fox remembered Brown – a former San Antonio assistant – routinely telling him that to win in the postseason, “you have to be able to play defense.” With Wembanyama on the floor, San Antonio certainly seemed capable.
Once Paul informed Sacramento of Fox’s desire to join the Spurs, reports surfaced of the guard telling the club he had a list of preferred teams.
“There was no f—ing list,” Fox said. “There was one team. I wanted to go to San Antonio. So, a lot of people are mad at me, saying I handcuffed the team by giving them a destination. Well, this is my career. If anybody else is in my position, you’d do the same thing. It’s not my job to help build your team. I’m not about to just go where they want me to go. I wanted to have a destination.”
Fox got his wish when San Antonio announced his acquisition Feb. 3, the day his son, Reign, turned 2. Fox wouldn’t debut for San Antonio until two days later in Atlanta. He became the first player in franchise history to tally at least 20 points and 10 assists in his Spurs debut. He scored or assisted on 56 points in a 126-125 win.
With 2.9 seconds left and the score tied at 125 that night, Chris Paul tossed an inbounds pass to Fox, and the Spurs executed a high pick-and-roll. As Wembanyama rolled to the rack, De’Andre Hunter ran over to double-team Fox with Dyson Daniels. Fox lofted a pass to Wembanyama as the defenders closed in.
Onyeka Okongwu fouled Wembanyama as he attempted a two-handed dunk, paving the way for the French phenom to knock down the game-winning free throw.
“He’s been an elite player for a while,” San Antonio acting coach Mitch Johnson said of Fox, moments after the guard’s Spurs debut in Atlanta. “He’s dynamic. He’s going to unlock a whole different element for our team. The goal of any offense, no matter how you slice it, is trying to gain an advantage when you have someone that can gain that advantage just with the basketball in their hands. He’s one of the players in the league that can do that.”
FOX SAID THAT the only real demand he ever made in Sacramento was for the Kings to acquire dynamic wing players (such as Brooklyn’s Cameron Johnson). Fox believes that most championship teams are anchored by top-tier wings like Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee and Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in Boston.
“That’s all I ever asked for,” he said. “I told Keegan Murray, and I don’t know how many people would agree with me. But I’m like, 'Yo, the best teams in the league outside of Steph [Curry and the Golden State Warriors], their best player is usually a wing. Wings win in this league.”
Wembanyama possesses the versatility to fulfill such a role. But San Antonio already bursts at the seams with promising wings such as Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan – all aged 24 or younger. Fox admits Wembanyama is “why I wanted to come here” due to the 7-footer’s versatility on both ends of the floor.
“He’s so unique,” Fox said. “Guys dribble to the lane, see him, [and] they’re like, ‘Yeah, I’m not going up.’ I’ve never played with anything like that before. One, he’s a lob threat. He’s a guy that also picks and pops. He’s also continuing to learn the game.”
The Spurs shut down Wembanyama on Feb. 20 due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. So, Fox played alongside the 21-year old Frenchman in just five games, providing scant evidence of what the duo could be in the coming years.
With Fox and Wembanyama sharing the court for 120 minutes in their brief time together, San Antonio logged a net efficiency of minus-2.4. The duo executed 46 on-ball screens together with Fox as the ball handler and Wembanyama the screener. Those plays averaged just 0.77 points per direct pick.
Inefficient, to say the least. Fox logged just 10 assists to Wembanyama in five games together. In half-court sets, Fox passed to Wembanyama on 31 occasions while the Frenchman tossed the ball Fox’s way 24 times, according to Second Spectrum data.
“Playing with a superstar is not easy because obviously, one, they demand the ball,” Fox said. “Two, they demand so much attention. It’s like playing with Steph. Everybody can’t play with Steph because you always have to look for him. But at the end of the day, that motherf—er can win championships, and I think Vic can win championships. So, you obviously want to continue to play your game. But you learn how to play off someone like that. And he by himself can make a group extremely special.”
Fox can, too. Paul knows as much from playing against him all these years.
In the waning moments of a nail-biter in Memphis on March 1, Paul screamed from the bench as the action unfolded on the floor and the crowd grew raucous.
“Fox! Fox!” Paul yelled, standing near the scorer’s table. “Go get the ball!”
Fox cut across the court to take possession from Castle.
With 10.7 seconds left and rookie Jaylen Wells standing in front of Fox as the primary defender, Scotty Pippen Jr. ran over to double-team the new Spurs guard. Fox quickly passed to Vassell, who tossed it back with 8.3 seconds remaining.
“I’ve played against him,” Paul said. “I’ve guarded Fox. I know what it’s like. I’ll live and die with whatever shot he shoots.”
As Pippen approached again to form another double-team alongside Wells, Fox turned on the jets and sprinted to the paint before hitting the breaks and watching Wells fly by. As Santi Aldama slid over to defend, Fox rose for a fadeaway that swished through the cylinder with 1.8 seconds remaining.
The Spurs won 130-128 in closing its monthlong rodeo road trip.
Prior to joining San Antonio on that trip, Fox had been on the road nearly two weeks with his former team. Two days after the win in Memphis, Fox and his family officially completed their move to San Antonio.
“No matter how I’m playing, the last shot just always goes in for some reason,” he said. “You save the best for last, I guess.”
By Michael C. Wright | ESPN, via ESPN