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The Spurs got a brutal injury update on De’Aaron Fox after their third win over the OKC Thunder, while Victor Wembanyama continues to grow.
The San Antonio Spurs have cemented themselves as NBA title contenders with their Christmas Day win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the third occasion in 12 days.
A part of their recent success and status as Finals hopefuls has been De’Aaron Fox, who arrived on the team in a trade last summer to pair him with franchise star Victor Wembanyama. After missing a bit of time with some questions about his fit on the team, Fox has elevated his game recently, playing a major part in the Spurs’ 23-7 record.
However, after the team’s Christmas win against the defending champions, Fox was listed as questionable for their upcoming contest against the Utah Jazz with left abductor tightness. Now, the point guard is officially listed as out, which comes as a brutal blow considering his strong play over the past few weeks.
“Spurs say De’Aaron Fox is OUT tonight (adductor tightness),” NBA reporter Matthew Tynan wrote in a post on X.
In 22 games this season, Fox is averaging 21.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 6.1 assists on 48.2% shooting.
De’Aaron Fox Injury Update
Fox had previously missed time earlier in the year with a hamstring injury, but the new injury update might not be as big a concern, considering San Antonio didn’t rule him out until the day of the Jazz game.
But still, Fox has been extremely impactful in the time he has played this year. There were questions on his fit and play style alongside Wembanyama, but so far, he’s answered all those questions with some strong performances.
That isn’t to say every night Fox is playing at an All-Star level, as in the past five games, he’s had three scoring less than ten points, but overall, he’s brought a veteran point guard presence to a mostly young Spurs team.
Along with Fox, San Antonio’s backcourt features Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle, two rising stars who have so far blown out expectations in their rookie and second year, respectively.
Harper also missed time, but the second pick is averaging 12.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on 46.8% shooting in 20 games. Castle has been even better, dropping 18.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and seven assists a night on 51.2% shooting, making a strong case to become an All-Star in his second season.
Along with those two, the Spurs have seen impactful performances on a night-to-night basis from Julian Champagnie, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, and Keldon Johnson on the wings, each providing both three-point shooting and perimeter defense, helping vault San Antonio to the sixth-best net rating (+6.9), fifth-best offensive rating, and fourth-best defensive rating in the NBA.
Victor Wembanyama Continues To Dominate, Still Growing
While the Spurs have gotten strong showings from their supporting cast, Wembanyama continues to lead the team as their franchise superstar. The growing 7’5” center did miss a few games with a left calf strain, but since returning against the Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals, he has gone back to his extremely impactful self.
Despite the fact that Wembanyama has come off the bench on head coach Mitch Johnson’s rotation in six games, playing an average of 21.7 minutes per contest this month, he remains a deadly force on both sides of the ball.
This season, Wembanyama is averaging 23.4 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and three blocks per game on 51.4% shooting in his third season. The Spurs have taken a cautious approach in his return, but as seen in the three wins against Oklahoma City, even a minutes restriction hasn’t limited his impact.
Additionally, in what might be the scariest recent news for the league, there is a new report that says Wembanyama is still growing. The French center’s height was officially listed as just above seven feet tall when he entered the league, and after being listed as 7’5” at the start of the season, he’s now reportedly still growing, potentially at 7’6” or 7’7” tall right now.
Even if the Spurs see Fox miss multiple games with his new abductor injury, a healthy Wembanyama, along with Castle, Harper, and the rest of the supporting cast, can keep the team near the top of the Western Conference standings.
San Antonio has won ten of their last 12 games and shows no signs of slowing down as the season goes on.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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