De'Aaron Fox postseason struggles shouldn't lead to Spurs trade regrets

The Spurs haven't been playing their best brand of basketball through the NBA Finals, and it's led to a lot of finger-pointing. De'Aaron Fox has been subjected to heavy criticism due to his offensive inconsistency, leading many to believe that San Antonio missed out on acquiring Trae Young at the trade deadline a bit over a year ago.

I get it, Fox hasn't been at his best, not just in this series but for the whole postseason. The All-Star guard has struggled with shooting and turnovers. But how certain are we that Trae Young actually would have performed better on this stage for San Antonio?

It's perfectly fine to criticize De'Aaron Fox for his struggles. If the Spurs want to mount a 3-1 comeback and add themselves to a short list of teams to do so, they need more from him. But it still feels like people are forgetting several important details in their analysis.

De'Aaron Fox's playing style is a better for for the Spurs than Trae Young

It's easy to look at Trae Young's attractive numbers and believe he would be a better offensive option for San Antonio than Fox. The man is a walking double-double with ridiculous range and elite pick-and-roll playmaking ability.

But his heliocentric offensive style would never make sense in the Spurs' system. For one, that approach always hits a wall in the NBA playoffs. Secondly, it would have made life more difficult for Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper to develop and find their rhythm.

Let me put it more simply. He would not have been as good a fit with San Antonio's backcourt situation. That synergy between the Spurs' three guards is a part of what made them so special all year.

De'Aaron Fox excelled in taking on-ball duties while also giving Castle and Harper room to orchestrate the offense on their own. Was it always perfect? No, but it did lead to San Antonio making their deepest postseason run since 2014.

There's also a conversation to be had about defensive impact. Now, Fox is not an All-NBA-level player on that side of the ball, but he offers much better resistance than Trae Young. For the entirety of his career, he's yet to establish himself as a reliable stopper.

It's fair to criticize Fox and still give him the credit he deserves

It's been said a thousand times over: De'Aaron Fox was underwhelming in the Spurs' devastating Game 4 loss in New York. No one will deny that. But there's always a good balance between criticizing a player and still acknowledging the positives they bring to their team.

The notion that the Spurs should regret trading for Fox is ridiculous when you look at how he helped move this franchise in a better direction. Without him, it's hard to imagine a world where they jump from being a group that missed the playoffs to making a memorable run to the NBA Finals.

You can also think about the times this postseason when he did show up as a reliable shot creator, helping San Antonio close out big games. The Spurs' first night in New York resulted in a win after Fox drained a game-sealing mid-range jumper.

NBA fans need to understand that there's nuance. Holding a player accountable is fair. That applies to De'Aaron; the Spurs need more from him consistently if they want to make this series even more interesting. But we can't completely write him off. Fox was a major plus for this organization, and they wouldn't have gotten to this stage without him. It's that simple.

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