Fox's historic Spurs debut gives 'tantalizing' preview

ATLANTA -- Early returns indicate accuracy in De'Aaron Fox's description of the San Antonio Spurs as a "spectacular" fit for his skill set.

Fox showcased as much in leading his new team to a 126-125 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday by striking early and often to finish with 24 points, 13 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. The performance marked the first time in franchise history that a player making his Spurs debut tallied at least 20 points and 10 assists.

Fox scored or assisted on 56 points.

"Selfishly, as a coach, I think that's probably about as complete of a game you'd hope for the first game," San Antonio acting coach Mitch Johnson said. "You saw the potential. It's tantalizing. He's dynamic. He's going to unlock a whole different element for our team."

Fox provided the evidence on the decisive play of the game with 2.9 seconds remaining and the score tied at 125. Chris Paul hit Fox on an inbounds pass, and the Spurs executed a high pick-and-roll. As Victor Wembanyama rolled to the basket, Atlanta's De'Andre Hunter came off the French phenom to double-team Fox along with Dyson Daniels.

Recognizing the extra attention, Fox floated a pass to Wembanyama as he slipped to the basket.

"I've told those guys, regardless of how well I'm playing in a game, I draw attention," Fox said. "And that's what happened. They put two on me. Whether it's a miscommunication or that's what they wanted to do, he rolled and tried to finish strong."

Wembanyama attempted a two-handed dunk over Onyeka Okongwu, who fouled the 21-year-old center and sent him to the line for two shots. Wembanyama knocked down the first free throw and purposely missed the second to snap San Antonio's two-game skid.

"Great play drawn by Mitch," Wembanyama said. "I just wish I would've [gone] up with my right hand."

Either way, Fox stressed to Wembanyama to go up strong during a timeout as Johnson drew up the play that won the game.

"I told him in that timeout, 'You better not kick that ball out,'" Fox said. "We live or die by what you decide to do, but we definitely live and die by you taking that shot. So, you go to the basket strong, you get rewarded. And he would've knocked down two free throws if we didn't agree on missing that last one. That's a big time free throw, and it won us the game."

Wembanyama finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and a block in extending his career-best streak of seven straight 20-point double-doubles.

San Antonio led by as many as 20 points before Atlanta finally knotted the score on a pair of Trae Young free throws with 48.9 seconds left.

"So, I sort of had an idea of what it would look like," Paul said of Fox's debut. "But I mean the pace he plays with, the space that we have out there on the court. He's played with some really good centers, but I don't think anybody like Vic that can open the floor up. We ain't even had a practice with him other than shootaround. So, we want to learn and figure it out as we go."

San Antonio's guard trio of Fox, Paul and rookie Stephon Castle wreaked havoc on the Hawks early, scoring or assisting on 32 of the club's 35 points in the opening frame, according to ESPN Research. Johnson even admitted to pondering from the sideline what could be in the future for a squad now teeming with versatility.

The Spurs connected on 13 of 19 off passes from Fox, according to ESPN Research, with Wembanyama shooting 4-for-4 off the new addition's dimes. Fox became the third player in NBA history to score 20 points and assist on 30 points in a franchise debut, joining James Harden (2021) and Russell Westbrook (2020).

"The versatility of who was initiating and then finishing the play [in the first quarter] was such a wide range of combinations that it really -- when you're the other team, you're trying to find solutions on how to stop or where to turn the water off," Johnson said. "The potential is what the potential is, right? I'm not going to downplay that. De'Aaron Fox is a dynamic player to say the least."

Through the first three quarters, Fox either scored or assisted on 47 points as San Antonio entered the final frame leading 103-92. Over that span, Fox shot 6-of-12 off the dribble, according to ESPN Research, and 8-of-12 on contested shots, taking attempts against five different Hawks defenders in the halfcourt.

Defensively, Fox finished with 3 steals while Julian Champagnie contributed a team-high 5 and Devin Vassell added 4.

San Antonio picked up its 22nd victory. Last season, the Spurs didn't notch win No. 22 until the April 14 season finale.

"This is factual progress," Wembanyama said, "but I think those 22 wins should've come earlier. Almost all of us are really young on this team. There's no other way than getting better and going up."