The Spurs must make this crucial De'Aaron Fox decision

One of the bigger strengths that the San Antonio Spurs had last season was their guard depth. They had three great options they could rely upon in De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper. It was a big reason why the Spurs were able to reach the NBA Finals.

However, Fox struggled big time during the playoffs, especially during the finals, where he shot the ball poorly, made poor decisions, and was a huge liability for San Antonio. Harper was thoroughly outplaying him in the finals and if head coach Mitch Johnson made the decision to bench Fox, then we could be talking about the Spurs as reigning NBA champions. 

Harper has the highest ceiling of all three guards and can be an All-NBA player in his prime. Because of that, there is one obvious thing San Antonio has to do next season.

De’Aaron Fox’s leash cannot be as long next season

Reports have said that the Spurs do still believe in Fox, but that belief can only go so far. Unless Fox shows real signs of turning it around, Harper has to get the starting nod if Fox cannot shake off the bad end to last year.

Harper was absolutely sensational as a rookie and during the playoffs, he looked like a ten year veteran. He was getting downhill at will, was making the right reads and decisions, and showing great confidence on his jumpshot. He has all the qualities to be one of the best guards in the sport in the very near future.

Yes, Fox’s massive extension does kick in next season, and San Antonio has no choice but to make it work. He is set to make over $50 million annually and there aren’t many teams in the league that would be willing to take on that kind of money. They are stuck with that contract.

At the same time though, the Spurs are trying to win an NBA championship and they cannot let seniority get in the way of that. If Harper offers a better chance at winning, then they have to tap into that now. There were rumblings early on in the summer that Harper would not accept a bench role, but those were quickly refuted. 

Even then, it is fair to wonder whether or not Harper is the better player right now, not just in the future. This will be a tough conundrum for San Antonio to deal with throughout the season, but the sooner they are able to figure it out, the better.