SAN ANTONIO — For such a young group in the most pressurized situation of their collective careers, the Spurs find themselves in a strange sense of calm, despite surrendering home-court advantage in the NBA Finals.
A decent portion of that emotional control stems from De’Aaron Fox — the veteran point guard who struggled in Game 1, finishing with just 7 points on 3-for-13 shooting and three turnovers, and who failed to convert a single outside shot. Given how heavily San Antonio relies on Fox’s presence — he played 38 minutes despite his lack of production — his ability to offer control and poise is extremely important, and his understanding of his role remains critical.
Fox’s overall usage is essentially the lowest of his career, a shade above his rookie season, but the 28-year-old has been a positive playmaking presence since last season’s trade to the Spurs.
“I mean, I've got to make shots,” Fox said on Thursday. “Obviously I'm not shooting the ball as much. But coming here, I knew that was the way it was going to be. As a player, you sacrifice for the betterment of the team. There are times where I need to take shots or times where I don't take as many shots, but at the end of the day, you need to make the shots that you take.”
Zooming out a bit, Fox’s overall shot quality in Game 1 was remarkably better than the previous 17 playoff games, which lines up with his and the team’s Monday morning quarterback **** sment. Still, in terms of his downhill gravity and how it relates to San Antonio’s overall floor **** ing, there needs to be improvement heading into a must-win Game 2.
A decent portion of that emotional control stems from De’Aaron Fox — the veteran point guard who struggled in Game 1, finishing with just 7 points on 3-for-13 shooting and three turnovers, and who failed to convert a single outside shot. Given how heavily San Antonio relies on Fox’s presence — he played 38 minutes despite his lack of production — his ability to offer control and poise is extremely important, and his understanding of his role remains critical.
Fox’s overall usage is essentially the lowest of his career, a shade above his rookie season, but the 28-year-old has been a positive playmaking presence since last season’s trade to the Spurs.
“I mean, I've got to make shots,” Fox said on Thursday. “Obviously I'm not shooting the ball as much. But coming here, I knew that was the way it was going to be. As a player, you sacrifice for the betterment of the team. There are times where I need to take shots or times where I don't take as many shots, but at the end of the day, you need to make the shots that you take.”
Zooming out a bit, Fox’s overall shot quality in Game 1 was remarkably better than the previous 17 playoff games, which lines up with his and the team’s Monday morning quarterback **** sment. Still, in terms of his downhill gravity and how it relates to San Antonio’s overall floor **** ing, there needs to be improvement heading into a must-win Game 2.
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