De’Aaron Fox has become the lightning rod of these Finals, with fans demanding he sit for a rookie. Victor Wembanyama spent his pre-Game 3 media availability building Fox back up, and the timing told the story.
Asked about playing with Fox, Wembanyama said it has “been saving us a lot of trouble over the course of the season,” calling him “the experienced guy that we’ve always been able to turn to” and adding that “it’s easy to forget that our guards are really young, and how precious he’s been for them.”
The backdrop the praise is answering
Fox was dreadful in Game 1, scoring seven points on 3-of-13 with an 0-for-4 night from three, and fans wanted Mitch Johnson to close with 20-year-old rookie Dylan Harper instead. The criticism got loud enough to spawn its own social media storyline.
A captain publicly anointing Fox as the team’s steadying veteran is an attempt to kill that narrative before it splinters a locker room already under elimination-level pressure.
Fox answered the bell in Game 2
The praise comes with receipts. Fox bounced back with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, 2-of-2 from deep, and five assists. That is the player San Antonio traded a haul for, and the release valve Wembanyama needs while defenses throw their length at him.
With a rotation featuring a 20-year-old and a 21-year-old in the backcourt, the Spurs lean on the one guard who has been in the high-stakes games before.
Words settle a locker room for a day
Fox playing like a $230 million veteran at Madison Square Garden settles it for the series. Wembanyama spent some credibility vouching for him in public. Now Fox has to make the captain look right with the season on the brink, in the loudest building he will play in all year.
Receive exclusive NBA news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
