Massive De'Aaron Fox plot twist finally explains his NBA Finals meltdown

San Antonio Spurs star De'Aaron Fox has a long summer ahead of him after his ugly NBA Finals performance, but we may now know why he struggled. Sure, there was the obvious ankle injury that he had been playing through.

Yet, his struggles during the NBA Finals and, really, much of last season go much deeper than that. The numbers clearly show that Fox isn't the same player that he was in Sacramento because he isn't the same athlete.

Generally, players reach their athletic peak around 27 or 28, the same age that Fox is now. Unfortunately, he hasn't shown the same level of speed as a member of the Spurs that he did as a member of the Kings.

De'Aaron Fox plot twist finally explains his NBA Finals meltdown

To compensate, he took more mid-range jumpers and threes. To start last season, he was red hot from downtown, covering for the fact that he wasn't nearly the same slasher that he was before.

However, by the end of the regular season his scoring had dropped significantly, going from averaging 22.3 points in his first 25 games to just 18.6 points for the entire year. During the playoffs, he actually upped his average to nearly 19 points per game through the first two rounds.

Despite that, he missed the first two games of the Western Conference Finals with an ankle injury. As a result, his ability to attack the basket was further impacted, and he only managed one good game in the final two rounds of the playoffs.

De'Aaron Fox's athleticism appears to be rapidly declining

Fox having a massive drop-off in terms of athleticism isn't a great sign, though perhaps it's not a permanent one. He is only 28 years old, and players don't normally decline at that age, at least physically.

If he can regain some of his speed, then he suddenly goes from being a questionable long-term fit to a great one. At his best, Fox's elite speed and crafty left-handed finishes made him a nightmare to stop.

He really hasn't looked anything like that player next to Victor Wembanyama. Thus, that is far more concerning than his struggling playing through an ankle injury in the NBA Finals

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