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

[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 " 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 le 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 le 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 ed because you don’t have a true 1.