A video poking fun at De'Aaron Fox made a short appearance on rookie Dylan Harper's TikTok after Game 1 before it was quickly deleted. But the real issue isn't the social media post — it's the lineup decision that came before it.
Harper briefly posted a video on his TikTok page that compared Fox's 3-of-13 Game 1 outing to one of James Harden's worst playoff performances, but then took it down.
The Spurs had gone with Fox over Harper in the closing minutes, even though Harper had scored 16 points off the bench, and Fox finished by missing a jumper and committing an important foul.
Fox is earning about $230 million and is one of the franchise's main faces, which gives him plenty of rope in close situations. He was also dealing with an ankle issue and finished 3-for-13.
Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images
Harper, despite being a rookie, looked sharper in Game 1 and became the youngest player ever to hit double digits in a Finals game. If a coach sticks with a struggling veteran over a productive rookie once, it can be justified. But when it happens again after a loss, it starts to shape the story of the series.
Benching your top-paid guard in favour of a rookie, especially in a Finals game, isn't easy for any coach, let alone one in his first year. Fox has real standing within that locker room, too. Johnson has already said publicly it was his decision and stood by it.
Whatever the original intent behind the TikTok post, it's now brought an internal team debate into public view. In Game 2, that conversation won't just be playing out online. It'll come down to whether Johnson trusts Harper enough to take control away from Fox again if things get tight.
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