30 NBA Players in 30 Days: De’Aaron Fox
Day 8 of our NBA season countdown brings us to the Sacramento Kings where the focus for today is De’Aaron Fox. The Kentucky guard entering his 6th season should feel like he has something to prove to the rest of the league. Fox’s career, even as a highly talented guard with a skillset and physical attributes that is better than most guards in the league, has never had the team success yet and has yet to play a meaningful game in the NBA. I think there is a very good chance that changes this year, even with how much stronger the Western Conference has gotten. On paper they don’t look like the team that will challenge for the Play-In Tournament, but after the roster changes and coaching changes, the Kings could finally be a sneaky team that finds themselves competing for a playoff spot.
Last season, Fox posted 23.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.6 APG, 47.3 FG%, 29.7 FG3%, and 1.2 SPG in the 59 games he played. With a whole offseason to get ready with his new center in Domantas Sabonis. The new addition at the 5 position brings a whole new dynamic for Fox to play off of, and I predict it to be a beneficial partnership for both players. Sabonis will be the best passer and hub for the offense that Fox has not yet experienced in the NBA. He had half a season of DeMarcus Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Kosta Koufos at some point, but no one he could play fluidly with on the offensive end. Bring in Sabonis and all of that changes. Of the 13 games they played together, Sabonis and Fox were scoring in different ways and Fox was able to play more off the ball, utilizing his speed and athleticism off the ball to cut to the basket. More new additions at guard and at the wing with Malik Monk, Kevin Huerter, and high IQ rookie Keegan Murray, Fox’s offensive responsibilities will be more focused on using his physical attributes to get other guys the ball. I think one of the biggest reasons why Fox has not been able to get the Kings to the level they expected to be at (other than playing for a poorly run franchise), is that he has always had the main responsibility to lead the team and to be the dominant scorer. As we’ve seen throughout his career, he does not have the skillset to be a three-level scorer. For his career, he is shooting 32% from beyond the arc, and he’s had two seasons of shooting below 30%. Getting to the rim is his strong suit and head coach Mike Brown should be able to identify that.
Fox has the skills to be a menace defensively, while putting consistent pressure on the rim. Brown has been one of the main assistant coaches for the Warriors since Steve Kerr took over in 2014, and he was the coach who ran the defense last year for the NBA Champions. Bringing that mindset to a Kings team that desperately needs that identity on the defensive end will be key, and Fox could have a huge impact. With the new offensive additions to the Kings, Fox will have to get accustomed to not always being the main option to score, since he has been ever since he was drafted. Changing his game to a pass-first guard may not be in the cards, but a better balance between facilitating and finding his opportunities to score will put the Kings in a better chance to win in every game they play this upcoming season. It’s a huge test for a guard who has the responsibility to help the team with the longest playoff drought in the NBA get back into the mix in the Western Conference.
