ATLANTA -- Holding his form at the end of a shot, new San Antonio Spurs point guard De'Aaron Fox threw up both arms in exasperation upon learning the rules of a new shooting game he was playing with Stephon Castle.
That interaction took place at morning shootaround.
But the learning curve steepens later Wednesday at State Farm Arena, where Fox will make his Spurs debut against the Atlanta Hawks alongside generational star Victor Wembanyama.
"It's a very unique opportunity," Fox said. "Not many guys come around like that. And I think it's not just him, but everybody else. With the way they're built, with the athleticism, with the length that they have and also the youth, I just felt like this could be a special team. I felt like the fit would be spectacular, and I feel like I have a lot of years left to play. Some people say you kind of expedited [San Antonio's development] process. But you look at a team like [Oklahoma City], where outside of Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] and I think outside of [Alex Caruso], everybody else is pretty much on a rookie contract. I feel like we can do the same thing."
The Spurs officially acquired Fox from the Sacramento Kings on Monday as part of a three-team trade involving several players and draft picks. Fox learned the deal was done Sunday as he sat in a hotel room in Minnesota playing Call of Duty: Warzone with a friend ahead of the Kings' matchup against the Timberwolves.
"I got the call from [Kings co-owner Vivek Ranadive], [general manager] Monty West, Paul Johnson. Everybody ended up coming into my room, and we talked about it," Fox said. "But from that point on, I've been in contact with basically everybody in the Spurs organization and it has been great. It's been great since it happened, and I'm ready to get on the court."
Fox mentioned receiving a text from a member of the Spurs organization on Monday, as he watched stagnant offense down the stretch in Memphis sink the club in a 128-109 loss to the Grizzlies. The organization believes Fox alleviates many of the issues faced by San Antonio in that defeat.
"This is kind of what we missed," the text read, according to Fox, who added, "[San Antonio was] going through some of those dry spells offensively. Just adding another guy who could put the ball in the basket, who can get downhill and create for others, I feel like will help with that."
Veteran point guard Chris Paul agreed and has explained to Fox that one of the obstacles this young Spurs team will face will involve the team learning to flip plays to accommodate for the fact that Fox is left-handed.
"Excited to see what it looks like," Paul said. "I've known Fox for a while. To get a chance to play alongside him, it's going to be a lot of fun."
Fox, 27, has averaged 25.0 points, 6.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds this season. Over the past three seasons, the eighth-year veteran has ranked in the top three in clutch time field goals, and he joins a Spurs squad that owns a record this season of 9-11 in clutch time games.
Wembanyama described the new addition as "a player that disrupts a lot of the opponent's game plan."
But in his Spurs debut, Fox just wants to fit in with his new team.
"Just try to get comfortable as much as I can with all the playcalls, all the terminology [and have teammates] try to get comfortable with me," Fox said. "What this team struggles with [are] some of the things that I can bring: more self-creation outside of Vic, being able to touch the paint, get into the teeth of the defense, being able to collapse defenses. I feel like even in games where I haven't played well, I still command attention. [With San Antonio] not losing a rotational piece [in the trade], I feel like we can be much better [as the season progresses]."