Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox using added upper body strength to flex on opposition
Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox worked hard last summer to add upper body strength so he could improve his ability to drive to the basket, draw fouls and finish through contact.
Fox has demonstrated that ability numerous times over the course of a sensational sophomore season, using his quickness, strength and body control to score around the basket in a variety of ways. He is also getting to the foul line more often, doubling his free-throw attempts per game from 2.7 as a rookie last season to 5.4 going into Thursday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.
“That’s mostly just being able to get stronger, and I think I did that pretty well,” Fox said. “It’s still something I need to work on.”
Fox, 21, will focus on adding upper body strength again this summer as he prepares for his third NBA season, but his offseason work is already paying off. That much was clear as Fox repeatedly attacked the basket in Tuesday’s 125-121 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
“He’s so talented. He’s so fast, too,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said. “What can you say? He got very competitive. He felt like he was driving earlier in the game and not getting to the foul line. He put a little extra juice into it coming down the stretch.”
Fox voiced his frustration early in the game because he felt officials missed a number of fouls against him. Joerger got involved in the discussion with just over three minutes remaining in the first half, loudly cursing at officials while arguing on behalf of his young point guard.
That exchange resulted in a technical foul for Joerger. The Mavericks went up by six on the ensuing free throw by Luka Doncic, but Joerger seemed to have made his point. Fox got to the line moments later for just his second and third free-throw attempts of the half.
Fox went to the free-throw line nine more times in the second half. He made 6 of 6 free throws over the final 2:27 and hit 11 of 12 from the line overall.
After the game, Joerger joked that Fox should “split the fine with your coach for getting a technical foul for you.”
Fox smiled and laughed.
“He’s been fighting for me all year,” Fox said. “My playing style is getting to the rim, but I’m going to take some contact. I know it. I’m trying to finish through it, but sometimes the call is not made and your coach has your back. ... That’s just the relationship we have.”
Fox’s ability to drive into the paint, draw contact and get to the free-throw line helped the Kings close out the Mavericks, something they’ve struggled with at times this season. Going into Thursday’s game, the Kings were 5 1/2 games out of the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race, leaving them to wonder what might have been if they had won a few of the close games that slipped away.
“We have had games like this all season where we closed out well and then we had games that we didn’t close out well,” Fox said. “We look at it as a stepping stone and we just have to keep going through it. We’re trying to win as many games as we can before the season ends. We want to take that momentum into next season.
“You never know. Next season, we might have more close games than we did this year. If we were able to close out a lot of those games this year, we’d be in a totally different spot, so it’s definitely something we have to work on.”