Spurs fans got a glimpse of De'Aaron Fox's clutch gene in game against Hornets

De'Aaron Fox has been a member of the San Antonio Spurs for less than a week, and yet fans can already see the kind of monumental impact he can make on winning for this team. Having Fox around to initiate the offense has already been huge, and his ability to put pressure on the rim has begun opening up more space on the floor for others to operate. This was clearly a slam dunk move from San Antonio's front office.

In the Spurs' road game against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, Fox finished with 22 points and six assists while shooting 52.9% from the floor. He played well consistently all night long, but the end of Fox's fourth quarter produced a moment that came just a few milliseconds away from being etched into the minds of Spurs fans forever.

With 8.1 seconds remaining in the final frame, Fox pulled up and nailed an 18-foot jump shot to break a tie and give San Antonio a 116-114 advantage. After a timeout, the Hornets inbounded the ball and got it to LaMelo Ball. Taking Jeremy Sochan off the dribble, Ball drove in the lane and after drawing help defense from Fox, dished it to an open Miles Bridges in the corner who nailed the go-ahead three. With 1.4 seconds left, that gave Fox his opportunity.

Fox nailed a game-winner... just after the buzzer

Let's not forget that De'Aaron Fox was named the 2022-23 NBA Clutch Player of the Year. He is built for these kinds of moments. So with less than two seconds on the clock and matched up with second-year guard Nick Smith Jr., it looked like San Antonio might just be able to pull it out with one last big shot.

Fox quickly caught the inbound pass, took one dribble, and nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key. At first glance, the referees called the shot good and they were ready to hand the victory to San Antonio. But upon further review of the play, it was apparent that the ball was still in Fox's hand when the final buzzer sounded.

The Spurs left Spectrum Center with a loss, but fans were given a glimpse of the kind of exciting shot-making they can expect from De'Aaron Fox this season and beyond. Wembanyama is obviously an all-world talent, but San Antonio may just want Fox handling their clutch shot-taking in these types of situations.