The jury is still out on whether De'Aaron Fox is going to be the right point guard to pair with Victor Wembanyama to propel the San Antonio Spurs to another NBA Title. What's not up for debate is that Wembanyama needs better point from the point guard play than he's received in Fox's absence.
The good news for fans in San Antonio is that Fox is set to make his season debut in San Antonio's home tilt against the Pelicans. The All-Star duo only managed to play 120 minutes together last season after Fox was acquired from the Kings. An injury sustained in the preseason has kept the former Kentucky standout on the bench until this weekend.
The Spurs still managed to jump out to a 5-2 record without Fox's services. Wembanyama's stellar play on both ends of the floor has been the driving force behind the team's wins. A closer look at the Frenchman's performance so far this season does show he needs more help on the offensive end of the floor.
Wembanyama is shooting just a shade over 50 percent from the floor through seven games. That number is weighed down by only making 26.1 percent of his shots from behind the arc. His stroke is far too clean from three-point range to shoot such a low percentage without other factors limiting his efficiency.
De'Aaron Fox's return will unlock an even more dangerous Victor Wembanyama
The most obvious issue facing Wembanyama this year has been the lack of spacing surrounding him in his team's offensive sets. Fox has not played with him yet, leaving rookie point guard Dylan Harper to help set the table for the French dynamo. Expecting a rookie, even one as talented as Harper, to set up Wembanyama at an elite level this early in their career is not a recipe for success.
That's why Fox's return has such extreme potential to unlock Wembanyama's long-range shooting. Fox is nothing more than an average shooter on his own, but his driving ability puts intense pressure on opposing defenses. His ability to get to the rim in transition should generate clean looks for Wembanyama to get open threes on the secondary break.
San Antonio's halfcourt offense makes a lot more sense with Fox on the floor as well. He has the chops to be an elite pick-and-roll ball handler when he's playing his best basketball. Fox made life easy for bigs like Domantas Sabonis during his time with the Kings. Wembanyama's added ability to space the floor as a shooter should make the Spurs hard to guard via their screen game.
It may take time for Fox to get back to full health and for he and Wembanyama to generate meaningful chemistry as pick-and-roll partners. It's still the clearest path forward for Wembanyama to unlock the full potential of his offensive game. If Fox can help his star big turn his three-point shot back into a dynamic weapon it could be bad news for their Western Conference foes in the coming weeks.