De'Aaron Fox and Chet Holmgren have one shot at redemption

Game 7 may come down to the second bananas

The prophecy is fulfilled. We’re going to Game 7, baby! Zaza Pachulia, etc., etc. But I can think of at least two players who are ready for this series to be over.

Thunder vs. Spurs has had its ups and downs for everyone, even superduperstars Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. As their teammates do their best to rise to the occasion, however, De’Aaron Fox and Chet Holmgren have been driving in a valley, admiring the mountain view.

It must be noted that Fox is playing through a high ankle sprain that caused him to miss the first two games of the series. Every camera close-up features him grimacing in pain as he runs up the court, and he has the vertical leap of an elephant right now.

I am sympathetic. However, he is out there. You can only excuse his performance so much. Fox is averaging just 10.3 points per game while shooting 33.3% from the field and going 2-for-15 from deep. Those are abysmal numbers by any standard.

It’s been particularly egregious in the paint, where Fox has looked perfectly spry getting to his spots before blowing looks he typically makes in his sleep:

The Thunder have increasingly taken advantage of Fox’s ailment, and he’s shot worse in each game: 50% from the field in Game 3 (his first), then 38.5%, then 26.7%, then 11.1% last night. That’s not the trendline San Antonio wants to see going into Game 7. And even those numbers might be whitewashing his impact; it’s felt like a disproportionate amount of his scoring has happened near the end of games, when they’ve typically already been decided.

Don’t get me wrong, Fox’s mere presence has had some positive halo effects. His return has sutured what looked like a deadly wound. As fantastic as Stephon Castle has been at times, he’s not yet capable of being the sole point guard for 40+ minutes per night. Castle had a record-setting 20 turnovers in the first two games, and the Spurs as a squad averaged 21 turnovers per match.

Live-ball turnovers are the petrol in Oklahoma City’s engine. Whatever else Fox has done (not much!), he’s cut OKC’s fuel line. The Spurs haven’t had more than 15 turnovers in any game since Fox’s return, and Castle has had just six turnovers in his last four games combined.

Still, Fox has to cook more with the opportunities he has. All-Stars need to do more than steady the ship if they’re healthy enough to play. Even just making the occasional stand-still jumper would be nice!