Rejuvenated: Why NBA All-Star appearance was so special for Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox
Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox endured dark days and trying times over his first five seasons in the NBA, but the past few days were something else
Bright lights. Shining stars. All the glitz and glamour that comes with being chosen to grace one of the game’s grandest stages.
Salt Lake City rolled out the red carpet for the NBA’s best and brightest at All-Star Weekend, and there was Fox, waving to a worldwide audience as he was introduced as one of the best players on the planet.
“It was dope,” Fox said following Sunday’s All-Star Game at Vivint Arena. “I had a lot of friends that were able to watch, and for me that was a really big moment. I think the next big moment for me will be once we’re, hopefully, in the playoffs and you’re playing on (national) TV. I feel like that will be a bigger moment for me.”
Fox came into the league with big ambitions after Sacramento selected him out of Kentucky with the No. 5 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, but the Kings won only 27 games in his first season. They averaged 31.6 wins and fired two coaches over his first five seasons.
Losing took a toll on Fox, who stopped smiling last season and started coming to his postgame press conferences with a noticeably dour demeanor. Fox now admits the weight of an NBA-record 16-year playoff drought began to change the way he carried himself and even the way he played the game.
“I definitely think the way I played and, like, during the season, I feel like it affected (me),” he said. “Offseason, I didn’t think about it at all, but during the season, it definitely kind of affects you. It’s like having a bad day at work. It probably affects the rest of your week and the rest of your day, so, yeah, it definitely would affect my day, for sure.”
That’s what makes Sunday’s All-Star appearance — and Sacramento’s resurgence this season — so special for Fox.
“I don’t know if I ever thought that it would ever happen like the way that it is now,” Fox said. “It’s all about being patient, man, and it’s hard to win in this league.”
The Kings have staged the NBA’s biggest turnaround this season under first-year coach Mike Brown. General manager Monte McNair made a blockbuster trade to acquire All-Star center Domantas Sabonis last season and kept building over the summer, hiring Brown, drafting Keegan Murray, trading for Kevin Huerter and signing Malik Monk as a free agent.
The results have been stunning. The Kings (32-25) are third in the Western Conference coming out of the All-Star break. They’ve already surpassed last season’s win total with 25 games remaining as they prepare to play the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday at Golden 1 Center.
Fox is smiling again. He’s running and dunking and dominating games with his signature fourth-quarter takeovers, saying he feels rejuvenated by the team’s success.
“Yeah, you’re definitely a lot happier,” Fox said. “You enjoy yourself a lot more.”
Fox is averaging 24.8 points, a career-high 4.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists. He is shooting career-bests of 50.7% from the field and 79.7% at the free-throw line. In terms of advanced analytics, he has improved dramatically in value over replacement player (VORP), win shares and box plus/minus ratings.
Last season, Fox was 175th in the NBA in VORP (0.7), 194th in win shares (2.5), 125th in box plus/minus (-0.6), 79th in offensive box plus/minus (0.6) and 150th in defensive box/plus minus (-2.5). This season, he is 42nd in VORP (1.7), 37th in win shares (5.0), 54th in box plus/minus (1.8), 31st in offensive box plus/minus (2.8) and 51st in defensive box/plus minus (-1.0).
Fox was one of five Kings chosen to participate in All-Star Weekend. Fox and Sabonis were both named All-Stars, the first time the Kings have sent two players to the All-Star Game since 2004. Murray was selected for Rising Stars, Huerter competed in the 3-Point Contest and two-way center Neemias Queta impressed in the G League Next Up game.
Fox took a moment to reflect on what that kind of representation means to the Kings organization.
“I think it’s big just because you don’t want this to be just a one-off,” Fox said. “You don’t want this to be the only year that this happens. It’s great that this is the first year that it happens, but we kind of want to make this an annual thing, and we want to continue to be productive once you step back out there. That’s for years to come. We have only one guy in our rotation that’s in his 30s, so this could definitely be something that happens in the future.”
Fox said this season’s resurgence can serve as a springboard to even greater success.
“Yeah, definitely,” Fox said. “I mean, whenever you have a relatively young team like we do, and you’re trying to make the playoffs and get into the playoffs and get that type of experience, I think that’s when you set up a lot of success down the line.”
Fox knows the Kings have more work to do with just over six weeks remaining in the regular season, but having five players at All-Star Weekend was no small feat following years of failure and frustration.
“Especially with it being four of our starters, it’s just a testament to what we’ve done this year,” Fox said. “I think there’s still a lot to do, but I think it’s really big for the organization, for sure, and for the city. Just about every single event has a Sacramento King in it, so it’s definitely great. I want guys to enjoy this weekend because once we get back, we’re hitting the ground running.”
This story was originally published February 21, 2023 at 3:14 PM.
