Spurs gifted prime shot to crush Thunder with De'Aaron Fox surprise twist

After missing Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs fans are awaiting the return of De'Aaron Fox. According to Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, Fox is a game-time decision to play Game 2, possibly giving the Spurs a huge boost.

After relying heavily on Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Devin Vassell, having a relatively fresh guard to help San Antonio steal Game 2 could be huge.

Castle, Harper, and Vassell each played at least 47 minutes in Game 1. While each is 25 or under, having only one day off in between games means they could be tired entering Game 2.

Fox will be returning from an ankle injury and may not be 100%. However, his possible return gifts coach Mitch Johnson a perfect opportunity.

The Spurs must bring De'Aaron Fox off the bench for Game 2

Hear me out. Fox hasn't come off the bench all season, but after a strong showing from Harper in Game 1, now maybe is the perfect time.

After all, Harper has been better all playoffs. Therefore, San Antonio must put their best foot forward to have any chance of beating OKC.

Johnson could use the excuse of slowly bringing Fox back from an ankle injury to justify benching him. Doing so could benefit Fox as well.

San Antonio clearly needs his playmaking and scoring against OKC. He has had several strong games against them, including scoring 29 points on Christmas Day in Oklahoma City.

Nevertheless, he may be better suited coming off the bench, at least for this series.

The Spurs have been better with Dylan Harper than with Fox

During the regular season, Harper and Victor Wembanyama had the highest net rating compared to Fox and Wembanyama or Wemby and Castle. Having Fox come off the bench would bolster San Antonio chances of winning Game 2 by featuring Harper more.

There are also several benefits to having Fox come off the bench. For starters, he'd be playing against opposing second units, against the likes of Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain, allowing him to be more aggressive scoring.

With Luke Kornet struggling, having an accomplished scorer in Fox play alongside him could make life easier on him. It could also prevent San Antonio from losing the minutes that Wembanyama sits.

Then there is the health aspect. The Spurs have often sought to manage minutes by having players come off the bench after returning from injury.

Having Fox play around 27 minutes off the bench would help to mitigate the risk of re-injury. It would also force OKC, who are undoubtedly cooking up ways to counter San Antonio, to adjust yet again to the Spurs.

Throwing a wrench into those plans by having Fox serve as the sixth man during this series could be a chess move that favors the Spurs.

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