Where does Josh Hart rank Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox when it comes to the 2017 NBA Draft? Apparently not very high.
Enough time has passed since the 2017 NBA Draft that we can begin to analyze the picks that were made how the players’ careers have panned out thus far. For the Sacramento Kings, that year’s draft was one in which they added a franchise cornerstone in De’Aaron Fox with the fifth overall pick.
There was an abundance of talent in that year’s draft, and it is a good topic of argument and discussion among NBA fans. There could end up being three superstars taken that year, and a handful of others will go down as solid contributors when all is said and done.
So who exactly are the best players to come out of that draft? New Orleans Pelicans guard Josh Hart touched on the subject himself during a recent episode of his podcast “Light Harted.” At least, we think it was his podcast. Nonetheless, he was doing a live stream of some kind with Donovan Mitchell.
Josh Hart gives his top five from the 2017 Draft: pic.twitter.com/O8fBv8uRoE
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 28, 2020
The subject of the 2017 Draft (which they were both a part of) was brought up, and Hart named his top five players from that class. He started off with Jayson Tatum, followed by “you” in reference to Mitchell. His third pick was somewhat of a surprise when he went with Bam Adebayo. Coming in at number four was our own De’Aaron Fox.
Are we a little surprised that Hart didn’t put Fox (who happens to be his gaming buddy) ahead of Adebayo? Yes. Adebayo was indeed an All-Star, which is something that Fox has yet to accomplish in his career. But in looking at the competition and respective conferences, it is apparent that All-Star popularity does not equal talent or value. Adebayo has had a fantastic year for the Miami Heat, but we feel like the upside of Fox is enough to put him at number three.
Granted, Hart never said that his list was necessarily in order. But given his top two picks, it sure seems like he was listing one through five. We’re not really sure exactly how much stock to put into Hart’s word anyways; he ranked Lonzo Ball at number five.