Battle of the Guards
De’Aaron Fox will match up against Mike Conley tonight which was a player that draft scouts were comparing the young King to before he was drafted.
While Fox has had a great impact on how the Kings have played this season, Conley is doing the same with the Grizzlies. For the year, Conley is averaging around 19 points, six assists, and three rebounds a game while shooting 40% from the floor, 30% from the three-point line, and 83% from the free-throw stripe. He also has a PER of 18.45.
As for Fox, he is averaging around 19 points, seven assists, and four rebounds a night while making 50% of his shot from the floor, 44% from the perimeter, and 68% from the charity stripe. He has a PER of 19.49 through 14 games.
Like I mentioned before, the pace of the game is going to be critical in deciding which team wins tonight. If the Kings are able to get defensive stops and have Fox increase the tempo every chance he gets, it will cause the Grizzlies to get uncomfortable and play out of their element.
If Fox can outplay Conley tonight, it gives the Kings a great chance in winning the game. Not only does Fox need to run the offense well tonight, but other facilitators on Sacramento like Frank Mason III, Yogi Ferrell, and Bogdan Bogdanovic need to do the same as well.