{"id":160998,"date":"2025-09-30T06:59:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T10:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=160998"},"modified":"2025-09-30T06:59:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T10:59:20","slug":"spurs-media-day-fox-injury-grown-wemby-scary-days-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/30\/spurs-media-day-fox-injury-grown-wemby-scary-days-ahead\/","title":{"rendered":"Spurs Media Day: Fox Injury, Grown Wemby, Scary Days Ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>SAN ANTONIO \u2014 Despite the slow crawl of the offseason, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/category\/spurs\/\" target=\"_self\">Spurs<\/a> media day finally arrived, setting the stage for the 2025-26 campaign. For the first time in nearly 30 years, Gregg Popovich was not on the podium as head coach. Instead, he observed from his new role as head of basketball operations, a reminder of a new era for San Antonio.<\/p>\n<h2>Spurs Media Day: Fox Injury, Grown Wemby, Scary Days Ahead<\/h2>\n<h3>Fox Sidelined to Start the Season<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_150587\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-150587\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-150587\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25636400_168402036_lowres-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox revealed during media day that he will miss opening night\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25636400_168402036_lowres-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25636400_168402036_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25636400_168402036_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25636400_168402036_lowres-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25636400_168402036_lowres-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25636400_168402036_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25636400_168402036_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-150587\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mar 10, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De&#8217;Aaron Fox (4) points in the first half against the Dallas Mavericks at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/f\/foxde01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">De\u2019Aaron Fox<\/a> confirmed he will miss the start of the regular season with a right hamstring strain. The injury occurred in July during offseason workouts in Las Vegas. The Spurs have downplayed its severity, but a target return date of November 1 was set, which means Fox will miss roughly five games.<\/p>\n<p>The setback comes months after Fox signed a four-year, $229 million extension. He was acquired from Sacramento last season and appeared in just 17 games for San Antonio before surgery on his left pinkie ended his year. Fox still averaged 19.7 points and 6.8 assists in that span.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Here&#39;s what Spurs guard  De&#39;Aaron Fox told me about his hamstring injury that is expected  to keep him out of the season opener in Dallas. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4xqtvTIftx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/4xqtvTIftx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Don Harris (@DonHarris4) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DonHarris4\/status\/1972830975001497686?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>When combining his <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/category\/kings\/\" target=\"_self\">Kings<\/a> and Spurs stints, Fox averaged 23.5 points and 6.3 assists while shooting 46.3% from the field. His absence to start this season will test the Spurs\u2019 depth at guard, but the team will use the opportunity to assess No. 2 pick <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/harpedy01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dylan Harper<\/a> and sophomore <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/castlst01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephon Castle.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Wembanyama Grows and Raises Expectations<\/h3>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wembavi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Victor Wembanyama<\/a> stole the spotlight during Spurs&#8217; media day when it was revealed he had grown an inch over the summer. The 21-year-old is now officially listed at 7-foot-4. More importantly, he has been fully cleared to play after his season was cut short last year by a blood clot.<\/p>\n<p>Wembanyama insisted the Spurs\u2019 defensive identity will set the tone. <em>\u201c<\/em>This is a nonnegotiable. It\u2019s not something you can\u2019t do if you want to be a part of our team. We\u2019re going to hold each other accountable. We know the coaches are going to hold us accountable, and it doesn\u2019t matter your status, defense is a non-negotiable.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Wemby on defense being a non-negotiable for every player on the team this season: <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/m4pa0soV9P\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/m4pa0soV9P<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/02S4jgK3FF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/02S4jgK3FF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PaulGarciaNBA\/status\/1972777151905833208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 29, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He also singled out <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kornelu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luke Kornet\u2019s<\/a> importance to the frontcourt. <em>\u201c<\/em>With Luke, it\u2019s not even optimism; it\u2019s necessity. Our combination of both of us, or whether he\u2019s on the court or not, or if I\u2019m on the court or not, we\u2019ll need to have some of the best rim protection in the league for sure. The best.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">With Luke Kornet on the team, Wemby expects the Spurs to have one of the best defenses around the rim this season: <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/m4pa0soV9P\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/m4pa0soV9P<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/eCvqI3neuj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/eCvqI3neuj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PaulGarciaNBA\/status\/1972777575484465551?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 29, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>A Scary Defensive Core<\/h3>\n<p>The Spurs have constructed a lineup with size, versatility, and toughness. <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sochaje01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeremy Sochan<\/a> and\u00a0Castle both highlighted the unit\u2019s potential. \u201cOur potential defense is scary,\u201d Castle said. Castle earned his reputation as a stopper at UConn and now projects to guard elite NBA guards. Rookie <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bryanca01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carter Bryant<\/a> adds a 6-foot-8 frame with a 7-foot wingspan as a 3-and-D wing. Kornet, meanwhile, finished in the <a  href=\"https:\/\/cleaningtheglass.com\/stats\/player\/4336\/onoff#tab-team_efficiency\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">74th<\/a> percentile in opponent points per possession last season.<\/p>\n<p>The Spurs ranked 19th in defensive rating before the All-Star break last year but plummeted to 25th without Wembanyama anchoring the paint. With him back, along with new reinforcements, ESPN insiders predict <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/29\/victor-wembanyama-provides-update-on-his-opening-night-status\/\" target=\"_self\">Wembanyama will emerge as the frontrunner<\/a> for Defensive Player of the Year.<\/p>\n<h3>Eyes on Opening Night<\/h3>\n<p>The Spurs left media day with one clear message: San Antonio plans to defend at an elite level. With Wembanyama towering taller, Castle and Sochan eager, and Kornet offering needed rim support, the Spurs believe their defense can be scary. I project they will have a top-10 defense in the league.<\/p>\n<p>Even with Fox sidelined at the start, the Spurs expect to be ready. Opening night will be the first step in proving whether this young, evolving roster is ready to back up its bold words.<\/p>\n<p>Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SAN ANTONIO \u2014 Despite the slow crawl of the offseason, Spurs media day finally arrived, setting the stage for the 2025-26 campaign. For the first time in nearly 30 years, Gregg Popovich was not on the podium as head coach. Instead, he observed from his new role as head of basketball operations, a reminder of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":160699,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,3,34],"tags":[50119,664,1776,4745,49680,49264,4669],"class_list":["post-160998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-news","category-spurs","tag-carter-bryant","tag-deaaron-fox","tag-luke-kornet","tag-nba-injuries","tag-nba-media-day","tag-stephon-castle","tag-victor-wembanyama"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160998"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161003,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160998\/revisions\/161003"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}