De’Aaron Fox’s play has been a bright spot for the Kings this season. Continue reading for analysis on the Kings talented rookie point guard.
Sacramento Kings rookie point guard De’Aaron Fox‘s play has been spectacular over the last couple of games. Fox is showing us all why he was worthy of being a top draft pick. He has improved his 3-point shooting. Fox is also continuously active around the rim. His an improved ability to run and facilitate the offense have Kings fans excited.
The former Kentucky Wildcat erupted last week against San Antonio for a career-high 26 points and was a flawless six for six from 3-point range.
One of the main improvements that the King’s coaching staff wanted Fox to focus on was his overall aggressiveness. Fox has embraced that task and the results are evident on the basketball court. Kings assistant coach Elston Turner says in a direct quote from an article by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee,
"“We certainly want him to be aggressive,” Kings assistant coach Elston Turner said. “He has a lot of top speed that a lot of guards don’t really have, so we want him to attack in the open court.”"
A Matchup Nightmare
Kings fans are becoming more and more accustomed to watching De’Aaron knife his way through opposing defenses. His pure speed and change of direction ability certainly make him a nightmare for the opposition. Add his unreal quickness to the equation, and it makes Fox almost impossible to contain. He had a possession in the first quarter last night against New Orleans that was a thing of beauty. With the Kings in transition off a Pelican’s miss, Fox went into full attack mode. Fox utilized his blazing speed to dribble past everyone on the floor with only Anthony Davis left backpedaling as the last line of defense. Fox’s quickness proved to be too much even for perennial All-Star Davis, and Fox finished with a smooth uncontested layup.
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Improvement on Defense
De’Aaron Fox’s improved defense and ability to adapt on the fly are another reason his level of play increased. Last week in a tough matchup against Goran Dragic, (whom many believe is an All-Star snub this year), Fox showed us yet again why he will be a special player for many years to come. After Dragic had his way with Fox for most of the first half, Fox stepped up and decided enough was enough. In the second half, you could see that Fox took his intensity on defense to another level. This increased energy manifested itself when Fox made a clutch play and stole the ball from Dragic with a minute and a half left in regulation. Fox’s spectacular game-winning putback dunk might have taken the headlines, but it’s defensive plays like the steal against Dragic that will help Fox cement himself as a force to be reckoned with for many years to come.