Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama praises De’Aaron Fox in revealing message before Game 3

De’Aaron Fox earned flak for his poor performance in the San Antonio Spurs’ loss in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. Fox only had seven points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field, including 0-of-4 from three-point range.

Fans felt coach Mitch Johnson should have benched Fox in crunch time and played Dylan Harper instead.

Fox played better in Game 2, scoring 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-2 from long distance. He added three rebounds and five assists.

Unfortunately, the Spurs dropped a heartbreaker to the Knicks. Now that they are staring at a 2-0 deficit, Victor Wembanyama stressed the value of having a seasoned teammate like Fox.

“It’s been great. I think it’s been saving us a lot of trouble over the course of the season. Sometimes he makes things very easy for us,” said Wembanyama in a media conference.

“He’s an experienced guy who we’ve always been able to turn to when we need him. It’s easy to forget that our guards are really young and how precious he has been for them.”

"It's been great. I think it's been saving us a lot of trouble over the course of the season… Sometimes he makes things very easy for us."

Victor Wembanyama on what it’s like to play with De’Aaron Fox

(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/WNxrLK3XLb

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 8, 2026

The 28-year-old Fox has helped guide the 20-year-old Harper and the 21-year-old Stephon Castle in their inspired run to the NBA Finals, while also easing some of the pressure off the 22-year-old Wembanyama.

Fox, Harrison Barnes, Bismack Biyombo, Kelly Olynyk, and Mason Plumless are well-respected in the locker room as veteran figures, as the Spurs have always cultivated the value of mentorship.

Fox, however, will also have to keep making his presence felt on the floor as well in Game 3 if San Antonio wants to get back into the best-of-seven series.

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