Zach Lowe wildly overstates De'Aaron Fox's reality with the Spurs

De'Aaron Fox has been a major topic of conversation since his NBA Finals stinker against the Knicks. While most acknowledge that he was playing on an injured ankle, the benefit of the doubt he's been receiving is astoundingly low, and the criticism unnecessarily high. Zach Lowe is the latest to add to the latter.

I wouldn't go as far as to say Swipa has zero pressure on him heading into the season, but he needs to right his wrongs during the playoffs. We have to stop acting like Fox has a horrendous 2026-27 campaign. The former Kings' guard was great in his first full year in a silver and black uniform.

The troubles came in the playoffs with some inconsistent performances even before the injury, but he still didn't really hurt the Spurs until the Finals. In fact, they don't make it past OKC without him being willing to play through a bad ankle.

So, let's go through Zach's reasons to debunk what we can and offer up a few other suggestions for players under significantly more pressure than a guy coming off an NBA Finals run.

De'Aaron Fox isn't close to the NBA's most pressured player

Luka Doncic was traded from Dallas with zero heads-up, and LeBron James just left him to play in Philadelphia for the veteran minimum. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics to a 56-win season with Jayson Tatum sidelined for the vast majority of the season, and then Boston traded him.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the NBA's biggest drama queen for two years straight, but now he's finally got his new team with an elite head coach. Was it all worth it? Trae Young has been damn near screaming about how underrated and undervalued he is. Ja Morant has been one big distraction, and the Grizzlies really struggled to trade him. He has something to prove in Portland.

Last but not least, Paolo Banchero received comparisons to LeBron James but ultimately has been a disappointment in Orlando. These stars have much more pressure on their shoulders than the third-highest usage guy on a team fresh off an NBA Finals run.

Zach Lowe's case falls apart under closer inspection

As far as Lowe's reasoning, the Spurs had Fox's midrange all season. SA's starting PG shot 58% from 5-9 feet, 51% from 10-14 feet, and 48% from 15-19 feet. Those percentages dropped in the playoffs, which goes back to my original point about when the pressure actually kicks in. Overall, Swipa shot 48.6% FG—the second-highest mark of his career.

Secondly, Zach mentions the $229 million contract. That's more of a comfort for Fox than anything—he's got his money. De'Aaron won't care whether he's tradable or not. It's unlikely the lightning-quick ball handler wants to go anywhere anyway. That's a point for the Spurs' front office, and it's only a problem if they're trying to move him.

The third point has a bit of merit, but Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle are coming regardless of what Fox does. San Antonio currently has an embarrassment of riches at the guard position, but because of the CBA, they'll likely have to move on from the former SAC franchise star either way... eventually.

That's not enough to land at number two with some of the other story lines out there. I didn't even mention Kawhi Leonard and the mess he's in. That's another guy who will be under pressure, whether he ends up in Toronto or back in LA for another run with the Clippers.

So, yes, Fox has some making up to do. Fans know it, and so does he. But his Finals performance doesn't erase the fantastic job he did during the regular season, and it definitely doesn't put him under the most pressure to start the following campaign. Talk to me when the first round of the 2027 playoffs begins.

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