De’Aaron Fox has lost none of his shyness

« It’s all Fox ,” says Devin Vassell before wondering, “ In what year was he the decisive player of the year? » Answer: 2023. His teammate De’Aaron Fox was the first winner of this Key Player of the Year Award. « It showed, it looked like he had lost nothing », explains Devin Vassell.

This refers to the “floater” that the playmaker converts 30 seconds from the end of the game tougher than expected against the Pelicans. The lefty just made the opponent jump and added support to get closer to the circle. And wider to sign a significant return to the competition after months away.

« Absolutely not “, said De’Aaron Fox when asked upon arrival at the press conference if his return was like riding a bicycle. “ Obviously, I was a little rusty. I played five-on-five before I came back, but it was obviously rust. I haven’t played a game since March and haven’t played all summer. The first time off the road was two weeks ago. »

The rust is so significant that at the beginning of the match, the All-Star point guard, stuck in the infirmary due to a hamstring injury, told himself that he would not be able to make the shot. He just wondered: Can I still influence the game? I feel like I did it on defense, on the rebound. »

Then he found his rhythm and his “ other souffles » in the second quarter where he reminded everyone why the Texans drafted him. In front of the opposing defense, he scored 13 points in a row for his team! Enough to allow Spurs to fly more than 15 points ahead. ” I’m good at basketball, so you can be a little rusty and still do this! »

Freeing Victor Vembanyama in the final

Then in the final quarter he told Victor Vembanyama: ” They brought me to help you, to help you close matches. » Words, then actions, because while the Frenchman had difficulty finding the target in the final, the left-hander opened the way to the circle for the first time four minutes from the end, before signing his decisive “floating”.

« We’ve really been waiting for Fox’s return all summer. It’s great to have him back on the field. Obviously, we see how much he helps us in attack. We can only go forward from here “, appreciates Stephon Castle, whom Mitch Johnson believes is ” he’s already done it (editor’s note: being “clutch”) many times. It’s good to have him back on the field. Hopefully we can only continue to improve.. »

Despite the aforementioned “rust”, his starting leader finished as the top scorer on his team with 24 points (9/14 shooting including 2/5 from distance), 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 31 minutes. The kind of return to the competition that proves Spurs right extending it at a high cost – $229 million over four years – this summer.

« As a player and a competitor, I obviously want to be on the field. But I listen to the medical staff, they’re looking for what’s best for me, because obviously I signed a contract to be here for the long term. So they want to protect the asset and make sure it’s ready when it’s in the field. For me it was about trusting them, trusting the process, and I feel like we’ve done a great job this summer and early in the season. », he finishes.

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How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / 3 points in an attempt; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.