The San Antonio Spurs are receiving some much-needed reinforcements with De’Aaron Fox expected to make his season debut on Saturday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. The former All-Star has been sidelined for the entirety of the season to this point due to a hamstring injury suffered in the offseason.
Fox was traded to the Spurs midseason last year and was handed a four-year, $229 million extension following the deal. Across the 17 games he played with the Spurs, Fox averaged 19.7 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. San Antonio looked primed for a second-half playoff push in the competitive Western Conference, but this was derailed by Victor Wembanyama’s season-ending blood clots.
San Antonio entered the season with a surplus of guard talent. Reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle continues to progress, the Spurs selected Dylan Harper with the second overall pick in this year’s draft, and Fox is expected to be a huge part of this team. But Harper suffered a calf strain, set to keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future, and Castle has had some notable turnover issues with him serving as the only true creator. The UConn product currently leads the entire NBA with 5.0 turnovers per game.
Fox will provide some immediate relief as a ball-handler and take on some significant responsibility in the Spurs’ offense. He will look to establish chemistry with Wembanyama, with the pair playing just five games together so far. San Antonio has shown encouraging signs of growth as a team and is off to a 5-2 start to the year, which is tied for the third-best record in the Western Conference.
Prior to Fox’s return, San Antonio hits the court tonight against the Houston Rockets, who are also off to a 5-2 start. The Rockets enter as 4.5-point favorites while the Spurs hold +140 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Stay tuned to DK Network for live updates.
