OKLAHOMA CITY — San Antonio’s All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox attempted another pregame warmup session, but his troublesome right ankle continued to cause problems.
The Spurs announced Fox would sit out Wednesday night’s Game 2 of the Western Conference finals matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, marking the second straight contest he’s been unable to play due to the ankle injury. Dylan Harper was expected to remain in the starting five as his replacement.
San Antonio maintained optimism about Fox’s availability until roughly one hour before tip-off Wednesday, with head coach Mitch Johnson stating — similar to his comments Monday — that Fox’s participation will be determined on a game-by-game basis for the remainder of the postseason. The organization has not disclosed the specific cause of the ankle discomfort.
“It’ll be pretty status quo moving forward, I believe, regardless of if he plays in games or not,” Johnson said. “This’ll be just kind of the world we live in.”
Fox earned All-Star recognition this season for San Antonio, posting 18.6 points per contest during the regular season — ranking second on the roster behind only Victor Wembanyama’s 25 points per game.
Harper — who received NBA All-Rookie first team honors earlier Wednesday — delivered an outstanding performance in San Antonio’s Game 1 victory, recording 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a franchise playoff record seven steals.
Harper, who celebrated his 20th birthday on March 2, ranks as the second-youngest player to participate in this year’s playoffs, trailing only Minnesota’s Joan Beringer and Phoenix’s Khaman Maluach — both still 19 years old. Beringer and Maluach have totaled 24 points combined throughout these playoffs, equaling Harper’s single-game output against the Thunder.
“He didn’t just get this talented or this good,” Johnson said. “For him to buy into the role that was in front of him, for him to do what was asked and be held accountable and learn what it took and what we needed to win games and be a part of it — while probably suppressing some of his individual capabilities — is hard to do for a 19- to 20-year-old.
“For him to be able to do that and grow as a winning team player and then have his individual talent pop as well — it’s hard to do in this league at any time. Doing it as a rookie in the playoffs is ridiculous.”
