De'Aaron Fox's major strength was on full display during NBA Cup Finals loss

Despite coming up short in the NBA Cup Finals, San Antonio Spurs star De'Aaron Fox drew praise for a surprising skill. Nate Duncan of the Dunc'd On podcast praised Fox for his defense during the game, with him also doing so following San Antonio's win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He mentioned that Fox is above average on that end as far as star point guards go. That might seem like a qualifier, but few star point guards are actually good on defense. Fox being above average on that end of the floor means San Antonio has virtually no weak links on the perimeter.

Against the Knicks, he was switched on to Jalen Brunson several times and proved effective guarding one of the best offensive point guards in the NBA. While he didn't shut Brunson down, the Knicks weren't able to attack Fox, and that alone is huge.

De'Aaron Fox's solid defense has been overlooked by Spurs fans

Opposing teams simply don't have a Spurs player that they can exploit on defense. Even Harrison Barnes, who might seem like the next best option, doesn't get picked on given his size and strength.

Teams aren't going at Fox either, expecting to score easily, and they certainly won't with Victor Wembanyama behind them. Given how well the Spurs fared with Fox leading the offense, playing at a top-5 level even without two of their three best players for 10 straight games, him being a good defender is like found money.

San Antonio didn't acquire him for his defense but instead for his skill as a scorer and playmaker. Obviously, he was known for steals with his nickname "Swipa," but he wasn't necessarily known as a good defender.

The Spurs made the right call trading for De'Aaron Fox

Perhaps his defense was simply overlooked because he spent the first seven seasons of his career playing with the Sacramento Kings. Let's be honest, how many of us were actually watching the Kings play unless they were going against the Spurs? Not many, right? Yeah, me too.

All of that is to say the Silver and Black clearly made the right call trading for Fox over, say, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young. He is probably a better offensive player but a far worse defender.

Or, perhaps even Cleveland Cavalier star Darius Garland, who is a better passer but not as capable defensively and more injury prone. Add in the fact that Fox's agent, Rich Paul, got the Spurs a sweet deal from the Kings (good looking out, Rich!), and San Antonio likely couldn't be happier with his play thus far this season.