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Spurs Star De'Aaron Fox Listed on Unfortunate NBA Ranking
Feb 10, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) looks on during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The San Antonio Spurs pulled off a big trade last season to bring in De'Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings, pairing Victor Wembanyama with a former NBA All-Star. It was a worthwhile gamble, as it really didn't cost the Spurs too much, and they needed an answer at point guard long-term.

They didn't plan on landing the second overall pick in the draft lottery, where they were able to add Dylan Harper. In one year, they've completely overhauled their guard rotation with Fox, Harper, and Stephon Castle. But is Fox actually as good as we're led to believe?

Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report published a list of the five most overrated players in the NBA, placing Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox fifth behind Austin Reaves, Jaren Jackson Jr., Tyler Herro, and LaMelo Ball.

"Public perception tends to regard him as a first- or second-tier floor general, but functionally, he's more like a 6'3" scoring guard," Buckley explained. "With a shaky outside shot. And less-than-elite passing vision. And defensive impact that falls way short of what his physical tools make you think he'd deliver."

Fox shot just 31% from three last season, and he's been above 33% just twice in his career. He's a consistent 20 PPG scorer, but his assist-to-turnover ratio isn't as strong as you would expect for a borderline All-Star guard.

"While he shouldn't be blamed for the many flaws of the Sacramento Kings franchise," Buckley continued, "it's still worth noting he's led all of one playoff push in his first eight NBA seasons. Adding to the notion his impact on winning is less than crystal-clear, his career on/off differential sits at just plus-0.6 points per 100 possessions. And his career plus-0.8 box plus/minus is uncomfortably close to the metric's average mark (0.0)."

Buckley still thinks Fox is a good player, just not a world-changing great player. Playing alongside Wembanyama should make things easier for Fox, but he only played 17 games for the Spurs last season, not a large enough sample size to see if this will work.

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This article first appeared on San Antonio Spurs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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