Even though met with initial skepticism, the NBA In-Season Tournament has largely been successful. While the official metrics will become clear once it concludes, the first returns are overwhelmingly positive. So much so that stars are starting to come around on the idea, and praising the league’s efforts. The most recent to join this list was De’Aaron Fox after his team’s victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Comparing it to various leagues, especially soccer, around the world, the superstar PG had an interesting perspective.

De’Aaron Fox sees the vision with In-Season Tournament

The NBA’s first and only Clutch Player of the Year began the season relatively slow. Due to nagging injuries, it took Fox time to get acclimated. As a result, the Sacramento Kings as a whole came off to a slow start. However, that is in the rear-view mirror now.

Winners of 5-straight, the Kings are back to looking like their last season’s selves when the team broke a decade-plus playoff drought. Fox, too, is coming around. His performance against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs today might serve as his official coming-out party.

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Scoring 14 of his 42 points in the 4th quarter, Fox was able to prove that his Clutch Player award wasn’t a fluke. Moreover, in a relatively close game, his performance was the difference in the Kings’ 129-120 victory. And so, their record in the in-season tournament now stands at 2-0.

Taking to the post-game press conference, Swipa made his feelings about the tournament clear. “It’s different…So many leagues around the world do it. So many soccer leagues around the world do it. For me, I was just interested to see how it would happen. How it would work.”

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Rather than reject the idea at face value, Fox reveals, he was all in favor of such a tournament. “I’m not one of those guys that are like, ‘I think it’s dumb,’ coz I don’t. I think it could be interesting for this league…I think it’s cool that the NBA is trying to implement it.” 

De’Aaron isn’t the only one showing optimism around the tournament. Despite initial doubts, the idea is slowly starting to win over fans and players alike.

NBA In-Season Tournament winning over everyone

While first discussing the idea, Kenny “The Jet” Smith had a thought-provoking idea. Despite initial reluctance, the play-in tournament has been a massive success. Similarly, the In-Season Tournament could also become a staple if done correctly.

So far, that part has held. In its first few days, the tournament games have been intense, and exciting, and brought some fierce competition. Whether it is Tyrese Haliburton’s endorsement, or LeBron James crediting the additional money for his motivation, the event has been a highlight.

Further, legends like Muggsy Bogues were spellbound by the new court design. With fans for the tournament growing, could it become a success like the NBA envisioned?

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