Player Expectations for De'Aaron Fox 2026 Season

[Neuromancer]

Feels like we didn't really get a true look at Fox last season with him only playing 5 games with Vic and then having the pinky injury on his shooting hand that he eventually was shut down for and had surgery on.

What are our realistic expectations for him next season? He has always been miscast as a #1 option but I think he is well suited to be Wemby's Robin. What are your predictions for him next season in terms of stats or accolades

 

[scott]

I think we'll see a slow tick down in his scoring average versus his normal production in SAC, since he won't be the #1 option, but I expect his efficiency to go up, his assists to be a career high (his 17 games with us last year were already close to the top of his career range), and his steals numbers to go closer to 2.0/gm again.

He should get more open looks than he's used to as well. I'm freakin' pumped to see him and Wemby really working together!

 

[Exstatic]

His C&S 3% is over 40, and he’s going to get many of those open looks.

 

[twodeep]

Feels like we didn't really get a true look at Fox last season with him only playing 5 games with Vic and then having the pinky injury on his shooting hand that he eventually was shut down for and had surgery on.

What are our realistic expectations for him next season? He has always been miscast as a #1 option but I think he is well suited to be Wemby's Robin. What are your predictions for him next season in terms of stats or accolades

Sounds about right

 

[The Truth #6]

I'm guessing training camp will focus on Wemby and Fox as the obvious priorities on offense. But I have no idea what will work exactly. Harper acclimating. Castle trying to take a leap. Not sure how Devin will adapt or not. But that uncertainty makes it exciting. Anywhere between 36 and 50 wins seems possible.

 

[brazil]

I'm just excited to see him healthy playing with a healthy Victor... cannot wait

 

[ginobilized]

Though expectations are the harbingers of disappointment, I expect some great games and moments from Fox. His clutchness should help us get a few wins. I could see he and Castle really developing some chemistry as they are a nicely matched combo. Kornet and Olynyk should aid our rebounding woes a bit and allow us to get out and run which will be pretty awesome with this squad. That should suit Fox's game well.I just hope that Vassell, KJ and Sochan can fall into their respective roles and not get in the way too much. Also, the coaching staff will be devising a whole new set of schemes and I bet that they will utilize Fox much better than last season when he was a surprise gift to an already overwhelmed coach.

 

[poopbox]

I just expect the team to win enough to possibly be the 6th seed, and I expect Fox to drive that winning second only to Victor. No clue what his numbers will be because this is an oddly formed team right now and I get a sense that the offense we run will be way different than whatever it was last year.

 

[Neuromancer]

I am going to predict: 22pts/7ast/4reb/2stls on 48/36/79 splits in 34mpg. Probably will miss out on being an AS or All-NBA unless SA somehow has a top 4 record by the break

 

[Exstatic]

Do people remember the surprise Memphis and Sacto top 2/3 seeds of the last 3/4 years? Came pretty much out of nowhere? That’s us this year, health allowing. Our 40ish win season got torched by injuries. Expect a big jump. Expect Fox to play a big role in it.

 

[LeBowen]

Do people remember the surprise Memphis and Sacto top 2/3 seeds of the last 3/4 years? Came pretty much out of nowhere? That’s us this year, health allowing. Our 40ish win season got torched by injuries. Expect a big jump. Expect Fox to play a big role in it.

Been saying that for months.

I expect us to easily make the playoffs, get overhyped and have a disappointing exit because of inexperience.

 

[Exstatic]

Been saying that for months.

I expect us to easily make the playoffs, get overhyped and have a disappointing exit because of inexperience.

Neither of those teams had a true #1, with Fox and Ja being their best. We might make some noise.

 

[Neuromancer]

I don't know, I am cautiously optimistic but the West is such a gauntlet it's hard to feel super optimistic about us being a for sure playoff team next season. I do think we'll be an 8th seed at minimum though

 

[spurraider21]

its going to look very different from last year

- usually takes a while for midseason acquisitions to get acclimated. he got a total of 5 games with vic
- fox is used to playing with a PnR, short roll hub type in sabonis. wemby plays very differently from domantas, so Fox has to adjust as well
- he's not going to share the backcourt with Chris Paul, a pairing that didnt make much sense, and forced one of them to defend SGs
- staff has had all offseason to plan the offense around him. the offense run by Paul looked very different from what will be run by Fox
- our pace will be much faster than last year

 

[ambchang]

I think it's reasonable to expect him to move his scoring back int he 25/gm range, with more drives to the basket with some mix of kick outs. He should also be able to get back to one of league leaders in steals as he can now rely on Wemby to cover for him and can be much more aggressive playing the passing lanes.

What I would LOVE to see him do though, is to be a better off ball cutter. He is lightning with the ball, but with what I hope to be an offensive hub around Wemby, Fox can take advantage and be a cutter finisher around the basket while Wemby pulls a big out in the perimeter.

His 3s I can wait, but expecting him to go back to the 32/33% range, not really to that could off seasons where he shot 37%.

 

[Space Cowboy]

I think Fox is going to be fantastic next year. All he has to do to actualize that is produce at his customary level.

Pairing Wemby with a consistent 22-24 pt. per night scorer who can be relied upon to break down defenses is going to be a massive game changer for the team.

That puts Devin, Jeremy, Steph, Barnes, Champ, and KJ in a position where all the team needs is efficiency out of most and a “big” night out of 1. That seems pretty reasonable to expect in my opinion, and that’s before we even know what Harper is capable of contributing.

I know the shooting concerns have been the lead story with the roster construction but I think the addition of Fox is going to make the Spurs very hard to stop. His penetration should result in more open looks from outside for everyone and I’d be shocked if there isn’t an over all boost in team 3pt%. They shot 35.7% as a team LY which was 20th in the league.

In 2023-24 the kings shot 36.6% as a team and their best shooter was a guy named Harrison Barnes.

If Wemby alone becomes more efficient outside the arc on the type of volume he was shooting last year the team will hit 36.6% and Fox is the perfect PnR partner to make that happen.

The Spurs, if healthy, are a playoff team no question and Fox is the missing piece that is taking them back to the post season promised land.

GSG

 

[TDomination]

Im not sure how he is defensively but im hoping he can have impact there too.

I think his scoring will come, he’s a natural scorer but I’d love good solid defense to be a part of his game as well.

 

[Lefty20]

23.5/6.1/3.4 on 48/36/83

Expecting a decent uptick on his 3s, not just from the healed finger but also having more open looks cuz of the Wemby factor along with Castle/Harper breaking down the defenses.

 

[spurraider21]

I think we'll see a slow tick down in his scoring average versus his normal production in SAC, since he won't be the #1 option, but I expect his efficiency to go up, his assists to be a career high (his 17 games with us last year were already close to the top of his career range), and his steals numbers to go closer to 2.0/gm again.

He should get more open looks than he's used to as well. I'm freakin' pumped to see him and Wemby really working together!

yeah this is the hope. i think the steal opportunities will be there with offenses panicking around wemby. if he can even shoot 35% from 3 that would be a good outcome. he's a career 47% shooter from the field so i dont really have concerns about his typical scoring efficiency, its just the outside shot.

but if he is sharing the floor with Castle/Sochan and teams are playing off them, spacing may be tougher to come by for him.