'Best Game as a Spur' | De'Aaron Fox's Underrated Impact on San Antonio's Success

“He is the most unsung reason why this has all worked," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said recently about San Antonio's low-key All-Star.

Apr 26, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De'aaron Fox (4) celebrates with teammates after a game against the Portland Trail Blazers during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

De'Aaron Fox understood the situation and the stakes.

He always does.

The 28-year-old All-Star is the only Spur in the starting lineup with any postseason experience, and before Game 4 of Spurs vs. Trail Blazers he drew on what he learned in his lone playoff series.

In 2023, Fox's Kings had won the first two games against the Golden State Warriors before losing the next three. They went to the bay for Game 6, and he led the Kings to a blowout win with an efficient 26 points and 11 assists.

"I love road games. I've always been that way," Fox said. "I told those guys, and we were on the brink of elimination whenever we did it, and we came in and won by like 25. You're either gonna get a desperate team, or you're gonna get a team who's ready for their season to be over. And at that over, and at that moment, we were desperate."

Apr 28, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles the ball next to Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) in the second quarter during game six of the 2023 NBA playoffs at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

On Sunday afternoon in Portland, Fox found himself in the exact sort of situation that he came to San Antonio for. Game 4, on the road, with a chance strike a devastating blow to the opponent. With the shoe on the other foot, he knew how the Trail Blazers would be feeling.

"We knew that this would be a big game, a game that they want, because they could either go back to our place, down 3-1 or go back 2-2, and you feel good about yourself. So us being able to come in and take this type of win, I think that kind of put, we kind of put our backs against the wall a little bit. If you lose this game, go back 2-2, we still have home court advantage, but you feel a little bit differently."

The Trail Blazers indeed played desperately, building a 19-point lead. Then Fox led a historic comeback for San Antonio, aggressively hunting mismatches and getting to the paint en route to 28 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. He played 39 minutes, hitting 11-18 from the floor and 4-8 from beyond the arc to lead the Spurs to a 114-93 victory.

"Might have been his best game as a Spur," said coach Mitch Johnson afterward. " I thought he dominated the game in every way. I thought the first half, when things weren't going our way and we weren't playing well, I thought De'Aaron had the disposition that we were looking for. Thought he played the game. I thought he worked the game. I thought he played with pace. I thought his defense was consistent, and when everybody else got on the same page, he took over. He started scoring, he started spoonfeeding his teammates, and I thought he completely took over the game."

How Fox Turned Game 4

Fox took over this game, but instead of carrying this young team to victory he did something even better: he reminded them who they are and what they do.

"We needed to get back to the way that we are used to playing," Fox said. "That's all it was. It wasn't that we were missing shots, or just the natural things that happened in basketball. We weren't playing the right way. That's what it was. It was black and white. We knew what we needed to fix. Third quarter, we came out first five minutes, we hit first, we passed the ball, we got good shots, we kept them out of the paint, and that's what made the game turn around. If we weren't making shots, so be it that happens in basketball, but we weren't playing the right way in the first half."

Fox's coach agreed.

"It wasn't a big strategic shift, we executed better," Johnson said. "We moved the ball better. We set better screens and rolled more, which put more pressure on the rim, and then that opened up things for others, whether that was the person handling hitting the roller or then getting off the basketball when we created a crowd with the roll, or that initial penetration."

The Blazers win games because of their stout defense, and their personnel and gameplan makes it difficult for any one player on the other side to go off for an explosive scoring performance. Beating them requires a connected team effort.

"We have a lot of dynamic guys, but that is a very good defensive team, specifically when you talk about initial action, whether that's guarding isolation or guarding the bounce or just pick and roll in general, because they have great rim protection and really, really good isolation one-on-one defenders," Johnson said. "And so we needed some kick across. We need some kick aheads in transition. And then we fought better, I think, into trying to get some pressure on the rim, with rolling, with spacing, and then when we saw crowds, we passed the ball."

Fox is exactly the right guy to remind the Spurs how they want to play. His speed and intensity revved consistently near the redline from the opening tip to the final buzzer, but when you watch the highlights from his dominant performance, the thing that jumps out is that he didn't force anything. He just used his skills and smarts to make the right play over and over and over again.

"Just just being solid, you know, if I have a three, if they give me space, you take it. If they don't try to get to the paint, and if there's no help, you finish. If there is help, kick it out," Fox said. "Just trying to play as simple as possible, I think made this game a little easier, especially the way that they play. You know, they pressure the ball. They don't necessarily help a lot. I think they force, like, the least amount of 3s in the league."

The Spurs generated a historic amount of corner 3-point shots in the regular season because Victor Wembanyama and the paint-pounding guard trio exert such a tremendous gravitational force on help defenders. Portland tends to stay home on shooters in the corner, giving San Antonio a problem to solve in this chess match.

"In Game 1 and 2 that was one of our emphasis we weren't getting the 3s that we wanted to take, or the 3s that we're getting throughout the regular season, and obviously a lot of that has to do with their game plan, but we still have to try to figure out ways to generate those type of shots, and we did that, especially last game in the second half today, we did that."

As the game wore on, Fox made it a point to hunt for favorable matchups in Portland's defense. Shaedon Sharpe got targeted. Robert Williams III is a wonderful rim protector, but the Spurs kept engaging him in pick and rolls 30 feet from the hoop to force switches. Fox punished the mismatch repeatedly with speed and shooting, to the point where the Blazers decided they'd rather just not have a center on the floor.

Apr 26, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De'aaron Fox (4) drives to the basket during the second half against Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe (17) during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

"I think we took good shots, I think that's where it started," Fox said. "We took good shots. We kept them out of the paint. That's where it started for us. And we just, we just rolled that momentum."

It took a while for San Antonio to get rolling in this game, but once they did Portland would have had a better chance of stopping an avalanche. As one of the few Spurs who has been in games like this, Fox understood what was happening and leaned into it.

"You feel the electricity in a building, especially in a playoff game, when you get up like that, and then you slowly start seeing the lead dwindle down. The crowd kind of goes away. Shots start getting a little bit tighter, and I think we felt that," Fox said.

"Once we tied the game up, you start feeling good about yourself," he said. "Obviously, as a team, we always feel like we just try to make sure we put ourselves in position to win. And whenever we got the lead down and we went to the fourth quarter, we have all the momentum. It's a tie game, yes, but their shots start feeling a little tighter. Our shots start feeling a little looser because we were able to fight back."

A Season of Selfless Leadership

Game 4 is exactly the type of playoff performance the Spurs were hoping for when they traded for Fox last year. He was brought in to be both a veteran leader and a perfect point guard to compliment Wembanyama and the rest of this talented team.

Even with a 62-win regular season, some fans and even professional opinion-havers have lamented that Fox isn't scoring with the volume or consistency to warrant the max contract extension he signed in the offseason.

What those people fail to realize, however, is that Fox's willingness to accept an inconsistent role is one of the main reasons this San Antonio team and the individuals on it have been able to succeed and grow far beyond where most people thought they'd be in April of 2026.

“He is the most unsung reason why this has all worked just in terms of his participation and enthusiasm to make it all work,” Mitch Johnson recently said of Fox. “We have a lot of guys that -whether they’ve been here or young guy - with very high expectations for themselves. And it takes a lot of togetherness, collaboration and desire for the greater good of the group for this many young players to continue to put that at the forefront. He probably is the catalyst for that.”

Apr 19, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) and guard De’Aaron Fox (4) react during the second half of game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Not every All-Star would be thrilled to take the Robin role, and even fewer would be down to take a back seat or even lay down in the trunk depending on what that particular journey called for. Some nights, he's called upon to drive the Batmobile. Fox has humbly accepted this duty.

"He's been ridiculous in terms of his balancing act all year," Johnson said. "Some days it's Steph, a lot of times it's Victor, Dylan's obviously progressed a ton this year, all the guys in double figures, and for someone who has put up the production that he has in his career, at this stage in his career to be able to be complimentary and nurture whoever's night it is while also having the pulse of, 'I will take this over at any moment,' is probably not discussed enough or not given enough value, because that's a really, really impactful thing for a young team that doesn't have a ton of continuity and history together. I think he's been absolutely valuable in that sense."

“We have so many guys in this room that can put the ball in the basket,” Fox said. “For us, it’s about what shot we take. It’s not about the shot that I take or the shot that Steph takes or what Vic takes, or whatever it may be. We’re trying to get the best shot for us.”

Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper have both blossomed for San Antonio this season, and they would not have had the room to grow in this way if Fox had insisted on being 1B night in and night out. In the Game 3 win the young Slash Bros combined for 60 points, just the second playoff game ever with a pair of players 21 or younger scoring 25+ apiece joining Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Late in the game, Fox hammered the final nails in the coffin to put Portland away.

“He’s kind of the head of the snake and the one that controls the game, but he allows me and Steph to be us,” Harper said of Fox. “He’s done a great job with that. He also knows how to get one of us involved. I think his leadership, how he passes the ball and how he controls and slows the game has been really beneficial for us.”

Apr 26, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) embraces guard De'aaron Fox (4) during the second half in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Fox is perhaps the perfect player for this role, because even when he doesn't light up the box score he makes an impact on the game and plays the exact way that Johnson wants this Spurs team playing.

"Steady influence maybe with the arrow pointed up to a takeover influence at times," Johnson said after Fox scored 22 in an April win over the Clippers. "Setting the tone, living in the paint. We emphasize pace, and that's part of our identity and brand. But he a lot of times the fastest car in the race, and so when he does that, whether he's finishing the play, passing to a teammate, or just setting the tone of us and our aggressiveness offensively, doesn't always lead to a quick shot but it does quite a bit for us."

Wembanyama missed that Game 3 as he recovered from a concussion. While it's obviously not ideal to be missing your best player, it's a situation the Spurs dealt with throughout the season and handled well in large part thanks to Fox. After Wemby suffered a calf strain early in the season, Fox stepped up to lead the team in scoring five games in a row. He consistently upped his scoring with the big fella sidelined.

"Whenever you don't have that, you're not going to just get that production from one player. So we all feel like we have to do more," Fox said. "We've had guys that have missed games, and we have such a deep team that especially throughout the regular season, we were able to sustain the way that we're playing. And if he's in or out, or if anybody else is in or out, we know how to play without somebody in the lineup. And I think that's why we were so good this year."

Fox has been forced to adjust what he's doing game by game and minute by minute, feeding the hot hand and picking his spots while bringing a consistently-high level of intensity. It's crucially important, and not nearly as easy as he makes it look.

"He's by far the most capable on our team of understanding the pulse of the game and knowing exactly what to do at that time," Johnson said. "He creates space, and I mean 'space' figuratively and literally for Victor and Dylan and Steph, some of those other guys that are ultra aggressive all the time or maybe have a hot hand at the time, Devin, Julian, KJ, etcetera etcetera, and he also knows when he needs to insert himself at the forefront of the game in whatever capacity that may be. I think we've seen that lately and we'll continue to see that, and that's what we'll definitely need as the playoffs arrive."

As Fox works with the young stars to win these games, he's also been working with the veterans to help those young stars understand what stands between them and a championship and how things change in the postseason. He recalled a physical game at Golden State before All-Star Weekend where he shared the message.

"Refs weren't calling the fouls, and in the huddle, we told them, like, this is what the playoffs is going to feel like," Fox said. They're going to scratch, they're going to hold, you're going to get hit, and refs are going to swallow their whistle... You're going to come in, you're going to get hit, you're going to look at them, they're not going to say anything. You're going to ride the wave of the crowd."

The Warriors built a 16-point lead in that contest, but Fox led San Antonio to a 13-point win with 27 points and 8 assists. If Fox played like that every night the Spurs would win a lot of games. They've probably managed to win even more because he's trusted his teammates.

"I think, I think us having a home game for the first game of the playoffs was great for us, because you kind of don't know how people react on the road," Fox said. "I think we were able to settle in fine. And I think they've been great. We got dogs on this team, regardless of what they don't know, they go out there, they have instincts, and they play the game."

Fox has built relationships with his teammates on a foundation of mutual respect. They pass the ball to each other on the court, and they listen to each other off of it. That's a big reason why when they faced double-digit deficits in both of these games in Portland, they were able to talk through it and figure it out.

"You don't want to get into that habit, but we know that when we're down, we figure out why. We're down and we try to fix that," Fox said. "We were able to come into halftime, talk about it with each other. Obviously, our coaching staff is telling us what they need to tell us, but whenever you're hearing from guys in the same uniform, you kind of, I wouldn't necessarily say you take it the wrong way, but it's a little different when you hear from guys that are out there on the court with you."

“I think there's no useless drama in between us,” Wembanyama said. “We thrive when we do the invisible efforts that benefit others. There’s no jealousy. There’s nobody who cares about their stat line. So it’s our greatest strength.”

Apr 26, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De'aaron Fox (4) and guard Devin Vassell (24) help forward Victor Wembanyama (1) off the court during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

This dynamic would not be possible if Fox was not an enthusiastic participant. Where there could be jealousy and competing individual agendas, there's just love and leadership instead.

"Even though they're younger, I absolutely love them," Fox said. "One, they're just great humans. And two, they're extremely talented players. But they start calling me unc I'm like, 'Bro, I'm not even 30 yet.' Like, what are we talking about? But, Nah, man, they just bring, like, light into a room, like, the dynamic is great."

"I mean, I have kids, but I don't feel like I'm that old yet. But (Castle and Harper) plus Carter (Bryant), and this guy, this guy's 22," Fox said as Wembanyama entered the shot to give him a hug.

"We have a we have a young, old veteran team," Fox said. "We got a good mix of guys. And I think everybody loves each other. Everybody wants to see everybody else succeed. And that's why, whenever we were playing that way in the first half, we're like, that's not the right way to play. And we came back out, guys started moving the ball. Dev (Vassell) I think was big for us in third quarter, and like you, start seeing the love and appreciation everybody has for each other."

Fox is the perfect young old veteran for this San Antonio team. It's his ninth season in the NBA, and if the Spurs are able to take care of business and advance past the Trail Blazers he'll be in the second round of the playoffs for the first time.

There will always be some people out there who feel that Fox should score more points, or make less money, or be far and away superior to his younger teammates every single night.

But Fox did not come to San Antonio to impress those people, or to score a bunch of points, or to make a lot of money. He came to San Antonio to win championships, plural, and he has foresaken every selfish desire he could possibly have in pursuit of that goal.

De'Aaron Fox understands the situation and the stakes.

He always does.