After another huge win yesterday, the San Antonio Spurs now lead their series against the Portland Trail Blazers three games to one. A big reason for that is point guard De'Aaron Fox, the former face of the Sacramento Kings. He continues to prove the level of talent the Kings wasted during his tenure.
DE’AARON FOX TODAY:
— Bala (@BalaPattySZN) April 26, 2026
• 28 POINTS
• 7 ASSISTS
• 6 REBOUNDS
• 2 BLOCKS
• 4/8 3PM
• 11/17 FG pic.twitter.com/6xZug3KDCS
The Spurs are a young team with very few players who have experience in the playoffs. One of them is Fox, who has been in the league since 2017. Unfortunately, he spent most of that time in Sacramento, and making the postseason isn't something that happens often for them.
Helping take the Spurs to the playoffs in 2026 is only his second postseason appearance, despite being in his ninth season. Fox actually has rather limited playoff experience, which you wouldn't know from watching him play. The man is an absolute professional and is key to the Spurs' success.
Against the Blazers, he's averaging 35.8 minutes per game. During that time, Fox is collecting an average of 20.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. It's the kind of production San Antonio needs from their starting point guard, and a glimpse into what the Kings wasted.
The Kings dropped the ball with Fox
Sacramento had Fox as their starting point guard for 7.5 seasons. His intentions were to remain a King for his entire career, but the franchise made that impossible with no long-term thinking. The final straw for Fox was the firing of former head coach Mike Brown, which led to him requesting a trade.
During his time in Sacramento, the Kings only made it to the playoffs once. Poor roster construction prevented the team from making more postseason appearances. That one time they made the playoffs, they definitely weren't ready to be there and got bounced in the first round.
The 2026 NBA Playoffs are showing NBA fans exactly what the Kings missed out on by not building a better team around Fox. Sacramento's endless barrage of unforced errors when it came to poor front office decisions and a lack of strategy essentially wasted the first seven years of Fox's career.
His loyalty to the Kings was taken for granted by the front office and the ownership at the time. Now, Fox is on a contender, showing the league what he's capable of when he's part of a roster that's actually put together properly and can put him to good use.