The San Antonio Spurs had just knocked off a struggling but talented Sacramento Kings team without Victor Wembanyama and then Stephon Castle for a half. Second overall pick Dylan Harper was already out with an injury of his own. In fielding questions about how his team was able to win under those circumstances, star guard De'Aaron Fox gave ClutchPoints an answer that will now be tested.
“Obviously, we want everybody to be healthy, but the way that this team is built, we're able to withstand those types of things.”
ClutchPoints' question to Fox had actually centered on him and if the Spurs being shorthanded proved an instance of why the franchise traded for him last February.
“We have an extremely talented group,” Fox responded, focusing on the group.
“Even when I was out and then Dylan goes out, we still have a talented group of guys out there that are playing and when one guy goes down, not just one person steps up, but I think our entire team steps up. We have seven guys in double figures, two guys with 20. Those are things that this group's able to do whenever guys go down with injury.”
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Fox led the way with 28 points in that 123-110 victory vs. the Kings. Harrison Barnes added 20.
De'Aaron Fox and Spurs prepare for life without Victor Wembanyama
Diagnosed with a left calf strain, Wemby is expected to miss several weeks. The Spurs have already ruled Castle out for their next contest vs. the Memphis Grizzlies.
“I think we handled it well,” Fox continued about the team's first action without the two.
“With that and then, we just lost two games in a row, so you want to come out and you want to hit first and just try to take command of the game, knowing that your game plan changes whenever you don't have Vic out there. And then you come back in half and Steph's not playing now, so I think we responded well to both of those things happening.”
San Antonio headed into that Sacramento victory off back-to-back setbacks to the Golden State Warriors.
“You have to have resilience as a team,” Fox added. “Because you could go on a five-game winning streak and you could very easily go on a five-game losing streak, so whenever you have those things, you have to try to (bounce back) because you don't want to have those ups and downs. That's the sign of a team that's not very good.”
Heading into a stretch without Wembanyama for probably the next month – with Castle's overall status uncertain and Harper still out for at least a couple more games – the 9-4 Spurs have their work cut out for them if they are to stay near the top of the Western Conference.
“Whenever you have those two games that you might drop or even if you might lose three games in a row, you have to figure out a way to not let that snowball. Those are the signs of teams that are trying to win championships,” Fox concluded.
This stretch should help determine how the 2025-2026 Spurs will be defined.
