Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox eyes title run in second playoff appearance

Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox views this postseason as a golden alternative so as to add in a giant approach to his already spectacular resume.

“I’ve been All-NBA. I’ve been an All-Star,” he mentioned. “The last thing I think that there is, is to win a championship. And I think we have a good shot at it.”

The Spurs’ pursuit of their sixth NBA title and first since 2014 begins Sunday evening in simply the second playoff appearance for Fox in his nine-season profession. The two-time All-Star guard made it to the postseason with Sacramento in 2023 solely to be eradicated by Golden State in seven video games.

Odds favor the 62-win, second-seeded Spurs getting previous the 42-win, seventh-seeded Portland Trail Blazers in the primary spherical of the Western Conference playoffs, however Fox and his teammates envision a good deeper run, one that will cement his legacy.

“We’re trying to compete for a championship,” he mentioned.

The strain is on Fox to assist make that occur after the Spurs gave him a four-year, $229-million most contract extension in August that may preserve him underneath their management by way of the 2029-2030 season.

Even earlier than they made that massive dedication to him, the Spurs made it clear they had been relying on Fox serving to them turn out to be a championship-caliber workforce.

“His resume speaks for himself,” coach Mitch Johnson mentioned after common supervisor Brian Wright orchestrated the blockbuster, three-team deal that introduced Fox to San Antonio from the Kings in February 2025.

“He’s a top player in this league, both ends of the floor, dynamic in every sense of the word.”

Fox’s accomplishments since he entered the league because the fifth general choose of the 2017 NBA Draft help Johnson’s description.

Before this season when his per-game scoring common dipped as a result of he willingly shared the ball with younger guards Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, Fox averaged no less than 23 factors in 5 consecutive seasons. He earned All-NBA recognition in 2023, the identical season he was chosen to his first All-Star sport. Fox led the league in steals in 2023-24.

In 2021-22, he collected the league’s inaugural Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year award. This season, he performed in one other All-Star Game.

But he lacks what counts most — a championship.

“This is obviously a big, big point in his career, just like ours, but especially for him, being on a team like this that has a chance to make a run,” Castle mentioned. “From what I’ve seen this week and leading up to it, he’s pretty locked in.”

Fox carried the scoring load for the Spurs in serving to them go 2-1 towards Portland in their common season collection. With Victor Wembanyama out for all three video games and Castle sidelined for 2, the Katy native and Cypress Lakes graduate averaged 27 factors over the three conferences.

Undoubtedly, the Blazers may have a outstanding place for Fox in their defensive sport plan.

“I think (Toumani) Camara will guard me more,” Fox mentioned when requested if he anticipated to be defended by Jrue Holiday. “Playing against Jrue, he was, especially in my first five or six years in the league when he was with New Orleans first and then he was with Milwaukee, one of the guys I hated playing against. Now Toumani’s actually right up there as well.

“…They have a variety of versatile defenders. They have rim safety (in 7-foot-3 Donovan Clingan). There’s a purpose that they had been capable of get into the playoffs and a variety of it has to do with what Deni (Avdija) did offensively after which what all these different guys do defensively.”

Fox, who is a candidate for the NBA’s teammate of the year award, has spent the past several months trying to coach the team’s playoff newbies on what to expect in the postseason. He said they got a good taste of it this week during film study and practice.

“During the season, you will see little changes right here and there, clearly you need to play the man’s tendencies,” Fox said. “But now it is like if he is going left we’re doing this, if he is going proper we’re doing this, if this individual’s setting the display we’re doing this. … The first observe we had after we knew who we had been enjoying towards, the youthful guys, the fellows who have not been right here earlier than, positively bought to see what a special scout was like between a daily season sport and a playoff sport.”

Fox has been there earlier than. Now, he is hoping all of them discover out what it is wish to play in the NBA Finals.