Is De’Aaron Fox the Pippen to Wembanyama’s Jordan? (Is he the #2 option of the future?)

[Dejounte]

This thread was bound to come up one way or another so might as well make it now.

Is he our #2 guy? Or is he the #3 guy and we will find our #2 via the draft or trade?

Let’s hear your thoughts.

[RC_Drunkford]

I‘d say he‘s the number 2 and Castle the #3 for now. We should still add another #2 or 3 to make us a super team down the line

[LeBowen]

Needs more poll options, especially considering how our big3 functioned.

Much like back then, I expect Fox and whoever else gets there (maybe Castle?) to be 2A-2B options behind Wemby.
I was always against superteams, current CBA makes it even more difficult in that regard.

[Dejounte]

I‘d say he‘s the number 2 and Castle the #3 for now. We should still add another #2 or 3 to make us a super team down the line

come on bro. Yes he is the #2 right now. What kind of answer is that lol

[Dejounte]

Needs more poll options, especially considering how our big3 functioned.

Much like back then, I expect Fox and whoever else gets there (maybe Castle?) to be 2A-2B options behind Wemby.
I was always against superteams, current CBA makes it even more difficult in that regard.

Nah y’all need to learn to commit to a black and white answer! Lmao

[LeBowen]

Nah y’all need to learn to commit to a black and white answer! Lmao

I'm a guy who always thinks that the truth is somewhere in the middle.
I dislike 0 or 1 takes in general, sports fanbases just prove it with their takes that everyone is either amazing or garbage. There are no solid players for a lot of casuals.

[Dejounte]

I'm a guy who always thinks that the truth is somewhere in the middle.
I dislike 0 or 1 takes in general, sports fanbases just prove it with their takes that everyone is either amazing or garbage. There are no solid players for a lot of casuals.

alright mr. serious pants, at least you put a vote in ;)

[spursparker9]

hmm....age-wise there is slightly misalignment with Wemby and Castle.

For now he will be #2. But when Wemby entered his prime, the #2 could be Castle or another future nba player or some superstar player wanting to come play with Wemby via free agency

[z0sa]

I think it's too early to call, tbh. I do think he's just what the doctor ordered for the next 2-3 seasons.

[onechance87]

Just curious if anybody knows.If fox was to somehow get all nba this year,Would he be able to get the supermax still? Or no cause he was traded?

[couchman]

Wemby is the franchise but I think Fox will be the #1 offensive option, especially in clutch situations.
Wemby is not actually good yet at getting his own shots in the half court.

[skin27]

Wemby is the franchise but I think Fox will be the #1 offensive option, especially in clutch situations.
Wemby is not actually good yet at getting his own shots in the half court.

in think wemby will never be good at getting his own especially in the post/paint. We might see the step back 3 in his whole career

[coolbluemoon]

Just curious if anybody knows.If fox was to somehow get all nba this year,Would he be able to get the supermax still? Or no cause he was traded?
Fox is ineligible for the supermax as he was traded.

[RC_Drunkford]

come on bro. Yes he is the #2 right now. What kind of answer is that lol

ok if you want to see it black and white I‘d say he is, by default cause he‘s the lead guard. Another option that we‘ll add later would most likely be a player who plays both ends and scores 20 PPG. Fox is the 2nd option on offense.

[daslicer]

He makes me think of Kevin Johnson when I see him get up the court.

[Ice009]

He makes me think of Kevin Johnson when I see him get up the court.

I know Kevin Johnson was athletic, was he also a speed demon too? I didn't know Kevin was that fast.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

hopefully wemby's career is so long he has like 3 iterations of sidekicks

rn fox is obviously the #2 to him and may be 1a/1b on offense

[daslicer]

I know Kevin Johnson was athletic, was he also a speed demon too? I didn't know Kevin was that fast.

Kevin was very fast.

[Dejounte]

Can someone do an analysis of how he stacks up against other #2 guys in the league? I would take him over Jamal Murray, easily.

It also surprises me how much basketball IQ he oozes from his interviews. I think there’s still untapped potential there now that he’s surrounded by great minds.

[R. DeMurre]

My first impulse would be to say no, Fox isn't in Pippen territory, not a #2 guy on a championship team, but there is the potential that the Spurs build a team like the Celtics with solid depth one through six, in which case it could work... but finding and paying for impactful guys like D White, Jrue, and Porzingis to be your 3th, 4th, and 5th options is really difficult, especially with this new collective bargaining agreement and its punitive nature.

[R. DeMurre]

Fox definitely could be analogous to Jaylen Brown, a guy who puts up big numbers but has surprisingly lower impact stats than other big stars and his own lesser paid teammates.

[rankingtear]

He is just there to keep the seat warm for Castle or Flagg.

[cutewizard]

Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

[skin27]

He is number 2. But some people will say he carried wemby to the playoffs. Wemby better aware of that and start acting like he is the superstar of this team.

[Kawhi Duncan]

He might be our #1 option if we get Wemby and actual coaching to construct an offense based on him instead of playing pick-up basketball

[Kawhi Duncan]

He is number 2. But some people will say he carried wemby to the playoffs. Wemby better aware of that and start acting like he is the superstar of this team.

Coaching issue...wemby is still just 21...he came into the league with an alpha mentality, but got coached down to a roleplayer's mentality because the ball doesn't go through him...it simply ends up in his hand when a teammate determines it should instead of him being the actual focal point...even rookie Duncan got touches almost every possession down the court...he didn't shoot it everytime, obviously...but he would touch the ball...there's countless times Wemby would just be doing cardio...running up and down the floor without the ball going his way...and even more times when he doesn't get to attempt a shot for an entire stint on the court

[KingKev]

Interesting poll. To me Tony to Timmy. These two are about to switch back and forth for accolades in the name of winning. Let’s keep them happy.

[Arcadian]

I mean, who else would it be?

[Knoxxx]

What are we going to have to pay Fox to renew him. Does doing it sooner save money? Can we front load him any?

[Russ]

Fox seems more like a #3 (Tony Parker) both by the same position he plays and within the overall hierarchy.

Duncan/Wemby would be #1.

TP and Fox look like #3.

We're still looking for our #2 (i.e., Manu -- the #2 in status who is also a wing).

We'll hopefully get that guy within the next year.

[Mal]

I am not sure if big 3 formula is still the meta. I would prefer Wemby, Fox and bunch of decent player for solid 8-9 rotation, rather than big 3 and scrubs

[scott]

Just curious, what made Manu a #2 and Tony a #3? Tony had a higher ppg average than Manu in all but 2 of the 16 seasons they played together, and took more shots. When talking about #2 option, we're usually talking about scoring.

I think Tony and Manu were about as close to "co-#2's" as imaginable, honestly, but I'm not sure how one would come to the conclusion that Tony was a #3.

[PhantomDashCam]

I know Pippen has somewhat tainted his legacy with recent revelations but that guy was so good and acknowledged (at the time), as a top 50 player.

I don't think Fox is on that level but think he's a terrific player all the same.

[scott]

I am not sure if big 3 formula is still the meta. I would prefer Wemby, Fox and bunch of decent player for solid 8-9 rotation, rather than big 3 and scrubs

I agree with this. I think it's helpful that Fox will only be on a regular 30% max as Wemby hits his rookie SuperMax (30%). When Wemby gets to his second vet SuperMax extension (35%) I think it will be important for that second max slot to be a regular Vet Max or (ideally) a rookie max (25%). Fill out the rest of the roster with a couple of guys on Devin-like deals, a couple of Barnes-level deals, and then sub-MLE deals. Teams will be massively benefited by having a pipeline of productive rookie deals flowing through the system as well. You also get the benefit of those guys on rookie deals not really having an opportunity to prove themselves worthy of a rookie max, so you can keep them on bargain deals when they extend. I'm thinking someone like Cason Wallace. In another circumstance, he might be able to earn a rookie max extension, but because he's on OKC he's much more likely on a path to a Keldon or Devin level extension.

[Ice009]

Just curious, what made Manu a #2 and Tony a #3? Tony had a higher ppg average than Manu in all but 2 of the 16 seasons they played together, and took more shots. When talking about #2 option, we're usually talking about scoring.

I think Tony and Manu were about as close to "co-#2's" as imaginable, honestly, but I'm not sure how one would come to the conclusion that Tony was a #3.

I agree with that you've said, but in the case of Manu and Tony, I'd rate Manu number 2 due to his closing ability. In his prime, he was the guy that had the ball in his hands more often in the biggest moments to either score or make a play, so I'd say that is why people consider him number 2.

I don't know exactly how De'Aaron compares to Tony in that regard (without watching him much, I am guessing De'Aaron is a better closer going by the clutch player stats or whatever it's called that the NBA has had the past few years), so I do think De'Aaron can be the number 2. If what I said about Manu made him the number 2, I'd say that De'Aaron is closer to that than Tony, but this is going off of regular season. Doing it in the playoffs is what matters more IMO as Manu was that guy in the playoffs. With this clutch player thing the NBA has, an example is Demar rates near the top, but in the playoffs, I'd say he's nowhere near a number 1 or 2 option/closer on a Championship team.

[100%duncan]

Just curious, what made Manu a #2 and Tony a #3? Tony had a higher ppg average than Manu in all but 2 of the 16 seasons they played together, and took more shots. When talking about #2 option, we're usually talking about scoring.

I think Tony and Manu were about as close to "co-#2's" as imaginable, honestly, but I'm not sure how one would come to the conclusion that Tony was a #3.

- We lived or died by Manu during the prime big 3 years. We lived or died by Tony I think only from 2012-2013, a short period tbh.

- Manu was generally more loved by everyone so there's a bit rose-colored nostalgia glasses there.

- A lot of people thought and still think that Manu should have won the 2005 Finals MVP. Whereas Parker won the FMVP in the easy 2007 finals.


These are my theories. I also had Manu over TP growing up. But yah looking back now, the stats say otherwise. It's one of those, "you'd have to have been there the entire time to understand" which I dont think non-Spurs fans or new-age Wemby wave spurs fans (obv not you) will understand IMO.

[Russ]

Just curious, what made Manu a #2 and Tony a #3? Tony had a higher ppg average than Manu in all but 2 of the 16 seasons they played together, and took more shots. When talking about #2 option, we're usually talking about scoring.

I think Tony and Manu were about as close to "co-#2's" as imaginable, honestly, but I'm not sure how one would come to the conclusion that Tony was a #3.

It's the "heart and soul" factor.

Rather intangible but real.

[scott]

- We lived or died by Manu during the prime big 3 years. We lived or died by Tony I think only from 2012-2013, a short period tbh.

- Manu was generally more loved by everyone so there's a bit rose-colored nostalgia glasses there.

- A lot of people thought and still think that Manu should have won the 2005 Finals MVP. Whereas Parker won the FMVP in the easy 2007 finals.


These are my theories. I also had Manu over TP growing up. But yah looking back now, the stats say otherwise. It's one of those, "you'd have to have been there the entire time to understand" which I dont think non-Spurs fans or new-age Wemby wave spurs fans (obv not you) will understand IMO.

Yeah, I always avoided the whole Tony v Manu debate and always viewed them as both #2s behind Timmy. I'm interested by people take's now (not that there is a right or wrong, I'm just interested)

[Ice009]

It's the "heart and soul" factor.

Rather intangible but real.

That does play a part, but during his prime, I remember Manu having the ball in his hands more in the biggest games/moments in crunch time. That is why I viewed his as the number 2. The stats might show different, but I'm just going off of the games and why I believe he was the number 2.
Tony was for a short time later on, though (just before Kawhi started breaking out).

[skin27]

I feel This thread will turn into manure vs enrique porker all over again lmao

[100%duncan]

I feel This thread will turn into manure vs enrique porker all over again lmao

Good ol times tbh

[100%duncan]

I feel This thread will turn into manure vs enrique porker all over again lmao

Good ol times tbh

[ambchang]

Would be good if the can be Khris Middleton to Giannis. And I think he’s as good if not better.

[Kizzarito]

Dating for Sex. (https://best.datingx.live) Best realistic porn game (https://adultgame.life)

[TheBallsbreakers]

in think wemby will never be good at getting his own especially in the post/paint. We might see the step back 3 in his whole career
You're a bonafide dummy aren't you

[benefactor]

I've always hated this comparison when the subject comes up about number twos and number ones. If we're being honest, Pippen was actually a number one...maybe just not a generational one. He wasn't as good as Duncan. He wasn't as good as LeBron. He wasn't as good as Jordan or Kobe. But was he as good his Wade? Was he as good as Steve Nash? Are those two players number ones? Pippen played next to Jordan. That's all that needs to be said.

Fox is a great player...but he is solidly a number two. Jordan and Pippen is more like Wade and LeBron together. The better comparison is to ask if Fox is Tony Parker and Wemby is Tim Duncan. If we are talking about tiers of players on the same team, that's the better comparison.

[Uriel]

I see him as the third best player on a championship team.

[John B]

Timmy was always the anchor and let Tony and Kawhi shine in the Finals and even made both FMVP’s possible. Wemby will be the same and he will learn to be patient sometimes to let others shine, while getting his own. Ginobili was very much unselfish guy, the very definition of the best teammate even agreeing to come from the bench for the team. Was he not the “Pippen” just because he stayed longer in the shadow?

I think everybody would say Fox is the “Pippen” to Wemby. Fox will definitely score bunches much like TP did under Timmy’s wings. But Manu was doing the unbelievable passes, diving for the ball, taking the charges. I think Castle will have the same impact as Manu did, hassling for the ball, defending the POA, making the ridiculous passes. And as much as it’s hard for me to pick Timmy’s “Pippen” between TP and Manu, it would be the same for me between Fox and Castle when all is said and done. I’ll simply resort to the next Big 3. All they need is a Nesterovic, a Tiago and not necessarily a number 2.

[DAF86]

Just curious, what made Manu a #2 and Tony a #3? Tony had a higher ppg average than Manu in all but 2 of the 16 seasons they played together, and took more shots. When talking about #2 option, we're usually talking about scoring.

I think Tony and Manu were about as close to "co-#2's" as imaginable, honestly, but I'm not sure how one would come to the conclusion that Tony was a #3.

Manu was just simply the better all-around player of the two and we Spurs fans know better than just go by stats when rating Manu. Any casual would look at those 13 ppg that Manu averaged and say "that's it? Man, this guy is overrated as fuck" when he might actually be the most underrated ever.

[skin27]

Timmy was always the anchor and let Tony and Kawhi shine in the Finals and even made both FMVP’s possible. Wemby will be the same and he will learn to be patient sometimes to let others shine, while getting his own. Ginobili was very much unselfish guy, the very definition of the best teammate even agreeing to come from the bench for the team. Was he not the “Pippen” just because he stayed longer in the shadow?

I think everybody would say Fox is the “Pippen” to Wemby. Fox will definitely score bunches much like TP did under Timmy’s wings. But Manu was doing the unbelievable passes, diving for the ball, taking the charges. I think Castle will have the same impact as Manu did, hassling for the ball, defending the POA, making the ridiculous passes. And as much as it’s hard for me to pick Timmy’s “Pippen” between TP and Manu, it would be the same for me between Fox and Castle when all is said and done. I’ll simply resort to the next Big 3. All they need is a Nesterovic, a Tiago and not necessarily a number 2.


wemby should not allow the spurs to brainwash him to be like timmy. Especially the unselfishness. Because if he does he will never win an MVP

[scott]

Manu was just simply the better all-around player of the two and we Spurs fans know better than just go by stats when rating Manu. Any casual would look at those 13 ppg that Manu averaged and say "that's it? Man, this guy is overrated as fuck" when he might actually be the most underrated ever.

Sure, but when the term "#2" is used, it's typically (at least in my experience) used more as your second option scorer, not the second best player. For example, pre-Fox I think it was pretty clear that CP3 was our second best player and Barnes was our third best, but neither were our #2 (or even #3) option.

None of this actually matters, but I was just curious because I've never really heard Manu referred to as the Spurs second option over Tony before outside of one or two seasons.

[The Truth #6]

Salary wise, he is going to be our number two. With Wemby's max deals/extensions down the road, I don't see how we can try to recruit a big salary #3 option.

With the second apron, I don't see how any team can pay big money to three players and maintain any flexibility.

So to me, we have our two guys. Now we surround them with complementary players.

Obviously, we hope Castle becomes really really good. He'll have to be to go deep in the playoffs. But as far as team building, the FO probably shouldn't waste further resources on a huge splash. But we need Divecenzo, Caruso, Harrison Barnes type vets to add affordable competency.

[ambchang]

Somebody else mentioned it months ago, forgot who (apologies) but wemby will be good enough that you do t need a true #2, we can load up on 2 or 3 #3s and still be a championship team. Like Denver with jokic.

Fox is a good player but I’m not sure if he’s ever be as good as peak Pippen. But if he could be like mid 00s parker (not prime early 10s parker) then we’d be in a good spot. Castle could be the other #3, or we may luck out in this years draft (let the conspiracy theories flow then) and land our #3 then. The good thing is wemby can allow the FO to build the team multiple ways to a title team. He basically covers the defensive end and can allow the spurs to have one or maybe even two below average defenders, and on offense, you can put shooters around him, cutters around him, just no lane clogging bigs, and he’d make it work.

[Seventyniner]

Somebody else mentioned it months ago, forgot who (apologies) but wemby will be good enough that you do t need a true #2, we can load up on 2 or 3 #3s and still be a championship team. Like Denver with jokic.

Fox is a good player but I’m not sure if he’s ever be as good as peak Pippen. But if he could be like mid 00s parker (not prime early 10s parker) then we’d be in a good spot. Castle could be the other #3, or we may luck out in this years draft (let the conspiracy theories flow then) and land our #3 then. The good thing is wemby can allow the FO to build the team multiple ways to a title team. He basically covers the defensive end and can allow the spurs to have one or maybe even two below average defenders, and on offense, you can put shooters around him, cutters around him, just no lane clogging bigs, and he’d make it work.

The real danger comes in paying a #2 guy #1a money, like Denver did with Jamaal Murray. The Spurs might already be in danger of that if they give Fox a max extension, though it will be mitigated by the fact that Wemby will be on his rookie contract or rookie extension for those years.

In that case it could be fine to pay Wemby and Fox as the #1 and #2 guys but then try to spread the #3 money out amongst the rest of the rotation rather than concentrating a lot of it in one guy.

[Kyle_Kuzma]

Fox is Anthony Edwards, Wemby is basically Gobert. Y’all fucked because you don’t have a true 1.