In a likely wasted Kings season, De’Aaron Fox shows he’s taken a fast step forward
In his second season, De’Aaron Fox made a leap. Unleashed in Dave Joerger’s fast-paced system. Fox sprinted to a third-place finish in Most Improved Player voting. After a rookie season in which Fox often looked uncomfortable, it was a welcome surprise to see Fox look like a franchise point guard.
This season started slower for Fox. Coach Luke Walton slowed the Kings down, limiting the advantage from Fox’s speed. Fox’s numbers dipped as he adjusted to the new system, and then Fox suffered a serious ankle sprain on November 11. Fox returned to action December 17, but was very hit or miss with his production.
But then, in the dregs of the Kings season when all hope seemed lost, Fox started making another leap. It’s time we take notice.
In games since January 1, a sample of 16 games, Fox is averaging 23.4 points, 7.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 0.8 blocks. For comparison, in his breakout season last year, Fox averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks. Fox has maintained his assist numbers while increasing his scoring, rebounding and defensive numbers.
Beyond just the numbers, it’s easy to see the difference when watching games. Despite pleas from fans, Kings coaches, and even Gregg Popovich when Fox was at training camp with Team USA, Fox was rarely aggressive to start games. Fox’s natural tendency was to open games by deferring to teammates, trying to get other players involved early, and then getting more aggressive with his own scoring as the game went on.
Now Fox is opening games in attack mode. He’s getting to the basket and putting opposing defenses on their heels right from the start, and it’s helping the Kings. The highlight of this stretch was January 30 against the Clippers, when Fox scored a career-high 34 points and led the Kings to upset one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
When Fox is in attack mode, he’s nearly unstoppable. He’s arguably the fastest player in the NBA, and is able to play at high speeds without playing out of control. Even at top speed he’s still able to see the floor, react to defenses and maneuver around defenders and find open teammates. Fox’s aggression forces opponents to choose between letting Fox score at the rim, or collapse in and leave shooters open. Fox is the engine that creates opportunities for the Kings as a whole.
The Kings’ season has certainly not gone according to expectations. Although they are still technically capable of making the playoffs, the Kings sit 13th in the Western Conference. The Kings are likely to miss the playoffs again, extending their playoff drought to 14 seasons, longer than any team in the league.
This season has been plagued by injuries to Fox and other key contributors like Marvin Bagley III, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Richaun Holmes. Free agent acquisitions haven’t worked out as expected and we’ve already seen players like Trevor Ariza sent out in trades. But this team was built around Fox and Bagley.
As Bagley continues to miss time with a nagging foot injury, it’s impossible to truly assess his ceiling. But Kings fans can at least take comfort knowing the team has a cornerstone to build around in Fox.
Greg has covered the Kings since 2009. You can follow him on Twitter at @gwiss.
This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 4:00 AM.