How good of a duo can De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama be in San Antonio?

 

                                         (Credit: Reggie Hildred/Imagn Images) 

The San Antonio Spurs are coming off a 2024-25 season in which they went 34-48 overall in year one of Mitch Johnson taking over as head coach with Gregg Popovich sliding over to the president of basketball operations role. As they look to have an improved season, the hope is that the tandem of point guard De'Aaron Fox and center Victor Wembanyama will produce at an elite level and help them get back to being an NBA championship contending team. 

Despite acquiring Fox before the trade deadline back in February, the Spurs haven't really gotten a chance to see what he and Wembanyama can do together as they only played five games together due to both players getting injured. Wembanyama playing in only 46 games as he dealt with a blood clot issue that has since been resolved. During the five games that they were on the floor together, Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game while Fox averaged 21.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game. 

In their second to last game together, the two of them combined for 61 points in a 131-121 road win over the Washington Wizards. Wembanyama finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals while Fox finished with 30 points, four rebounds, six assists, and one steal. Even though the Wizards were terrible last season, that win still gave the Spurs a glimpse of what a Wembanyama and Fox duo could look like. 

Fox is one of the most talented point guards in the NBA. He's incredibly quick with the ball, capable of creating for others while also possessing an ability to score both around the rim and from the perimeter. As for Wembanyama, he's one of the most amazing talents the NBA has ever seen. A 7'3" freak that can hit threes, run the floor, handle the ball, and fiercely protect the rim. He's everything you want in a big man. A true unicorn. 

Ultimately, the big question the Spurs have is whether or not Fox and Wembanyama can stay healthy. If they are able to stay on the floor, the sky is the limit to what they can accomplish. They have the potential to be a duo that makes a lot of noise in the Western Conference and gets the Spurs back in the championship conversation. There's just not many teams that have a point guard/big man combination like this. It'll be fun to see how the season goes for them and how quickly they start to gel. 

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The NBA's "Heave Rule" should bring more excitement

 

                        (Stephen Curry heaving a shot. Credit: Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) 

The NBA has made a change to how they statistically record last second shots of 36 feet or longer. Rather than having such shots count against a player's field goal percentage if they miss, they'll only count against the team field goal percentage. If the player makes the shot, then it will count toward the player's field goal percentage as it normally would. 

Below are the conditions of the rule: It is for shots 36 feet or further and within the final three seconds of the first three quarters. The play must also originate in the backcourt. 

The purpose of this rule change is to encourage more end of quarter shots without players worrying about the impact it would have on their field goal percentage. Many players hesitated to take such shots given it would hurt their stats. If you were say 9-9 on the night, you might not want to throw up a prayer that will end your perfect shooting night. Now, players can heave such shots with no such worries. As a result, we should see more last second attempts and thus, more crazy shots, upping the entertainment level. 

All around, this is a great rule and one that has been long overdue. Not only is it unfair to a guy's stats to count those shots against him, but also when you think about it, the whole point of field goal percentage is to track shots that are well, shots. In many ways a last second heave of 36 feet or longer isn't really a shot. It's a heave. Hence the name of the rule. On those grounds, they really should be a different statistical category. 

On top of being more entertaining for fans, this rule change will also have an impact on fantasy basketball. Many fantasy basketball matchups have been affected by a last second heave and now they only will be impacted if the shot goes in. Fantasy basketball owners will no longer have to worry about someone on their team taking a last second shot that costs them a matchup. That more than anything might be the best part of this whole rule change. 

Finally, I think it would even be better if shots beyond half court were worth four points and not three. The half court line is an easy dividing mark and it's well beyond the 3-point line such that it would make sense to add an extra point for such shots. Imagine a team being down four points with three seconds left and attempting a four-point shot! That would be wildly entertaining. Or a rare five-point play! A guy getting fouled while making a four-point shot. Can you imagine? Not only that, but getting fouled from beyond half court while taking a shot would be worth four foul shots instead of three. This is sort of a next level rule suggestion, but I think it's one that the NBA should consider. Maybe try it out in the G-League first. 

While a four-point shot may not be coming to the NBA, it is good they have implemented this "Heave Rule." There's no downside to it and it will enhance the experience for all. It'll be fun to see the impact it has on this upcoming season! 

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What are John Wall's Hall of Fame chances?

 

                                              (Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images) 

Last month, former Washington Wizards star point guard John Wall announced his retirement after having not played in the NBA since the 2022-23 season with the Los Angeles Clippers. During his 13 year NBA career, Wall averaged 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. At his peak during the 2016-17 season, Wall finished 7th in the MVP voting averaging 23.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 10.7 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. Wall was also the number one overall pick by the Wizards in the 2010 NBA Draft after a stellar freshman season at Kentucky in which he averaged 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Wall and the Wildcats fell to West Virginia in the Elite Eight of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. 

There's no denying the talent that Wall had when he came into the NBA. With Rickey Green type speed, Wall had all the pieces to be a legit franchise player and when he was healthy, he was just that. He could score at an elite level, he was electric in transition, could guard the top point guards in the game, and was a fabulous facilitator. He truly had all the tools and for five straights seasons starting in 2013-14, Wall made the All-Star team. 

However, his career was marred with injuries as he had to miss two of those 13 seasons in entirety. The 2019-20 season was missed due to injury while the 2021-22 season was missed due to the Houston Rockets wanting to prioritize the development of younger players while also unable to find a team willing to take on Wall's massive contract. 

On top of having a career marred with injury and setbacks, Wall only reached the second round of the playoffs twice in his career, never reaching the conference finals. For all his talent, he was never able to lead the Wizards or any team to serious playoff success. 

Something that will start to get debated in the coming months and years is what Wall's Hall of Fame chances are: 

On the positive side, I think his peak level was certainly Hall of Fame worthy. He was definitely not a bust. He backed up the number one pick hype that he received and on top of that, he had a strong single season at Kentucky. It should also be factored into the equation that the Wizards historically are a pretty bad team and he stayed loyal to the franchise, not jumping ship for greener pastures. He took it upon himself to be the franchise player and that's commendable. 

On the negative side, you'd like to see more than five All-Star selections for his career and the lack of playoff success is unfortunate. Also, you are judged on your production and injuries are a part of the game. It is what it is.

When you at it all up, I think it's hard to make a case for why John Wall should make the Hall of Fame. While he was one of the most talented players to come into the NBA, he simply didn't sustain Hall of Fame level play for a long enough period of time. If Wall does get in, it'll likely be after several years of being on the ballot but at some point, Hall of Fame cases lose steam and while I'm sure there are some that will try to lobby a case for him, I don't see him getting enough support to clear the threshold needed to get in. 

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