De’Aaron Fox just found the perfect balance with the Spurs

As the San Antonio Spurs await the return of Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, fans have been treated to the stellar play of De'Aaron Fox. Fox has lived up to his max contract thus far, averaging 26.8 points and 6.5 assists and shooting a surprising 39.4% on 6.6 3-point attempts per game.

Without two of their four best players, Fox has been given the runway to take control of the offense, and it's never looked better. San Antonio boasts a 119.3 offensive rating with Fox but no Castle and Wembanyama, which would rank as the sixth-best offense in the NBA.

On one hand that shocking considering that Fox spent the first seven and a half seasons of his career in Sacramento. Even with him and star Domantas Sabonis for five of those years, they only made the playoffs once. Then again, the Kings are the Kings, but the 2022-23 Fox-led offense previously set the NBA record for offensive rating.

Turns out it wasn't a fluke. Put Fox next to three shooters and a roll man, and it's like printing money. The Spurs have done just that by pairing Fox with Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes, and Luke Kornet.

The Spurs have unlocked De'Aaron Fox's full potential

With Fox leading San Antonio, they are 7-3 and have pulled off some impressive wins too, beating the plucky Portland Trail Blazers, championship-caliber Denver Nuggets, and surging Orlando Magic all on the road.

Having Fox become comfortable playing with his new teammates and balancing scoring and playmaking responsibilities is a huge development.

He barely played with the Spurs last season and missed preseason and the start of the regular season. He looked tentative in his first few games of the season but has now figured out when to set up teammates and when to score.

Fox appears to do the former more in the first and third quarters while going into scoring mode during the second and fourth. When Wembanyama and Castle return, him being able to pick his spots is key, with Fox and Wembanyama having played fewer than a dozen games together.

If they can coexist and even help one another thrive, the Spurs would be that much better for it. Their newfound offensive improvement could not only become permanent but potentially even more devastating.

Wembanyama and Castle will help to stabilize the Spurs' defense, transforming them back into being a top 10 team on that end. But for San Antonio's offense to reach a higher level, they'll need Fox to continue to play how he's played when given the keys to the offense.