When the Sacramento Kings traded their franchise icon in a three-team deal with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, the rationale was that in return for De'Aaron Fox, the Kings would be getting a player who was almost as good as him in Zach LaVine, while also getting some much-needed draft capital.
But what if LaVine is actually the better player between the two? In this post, we offer three reasons as to why this might be the case.
Zach LaVine has the worst PR cause he might actually be better than De’Aaron Fox
— Magnus Savage (@MagnusSav) March 8, 2025
Reason #1: LaVine is a better scorer
The main reason these two players are as highly coveted as they are is that they know how to put points on the board. However, I would say LaVine is a little better at this than Fox.
At the surface, they may be neck and neck (LaVine is averaging 23.9 PPG, while Fox is averaging 23.6 PPG). But when you look at some efficiency numbers, it tells a different story. Yes, they score at a similar rate, but LaVine does so on true shooting that is in the 92nd percentile leaguewide. Meanwhile, Fox is in just the 44th percentile (per Dunks & Threes).
Reason #2: LaVine is a better off-ball player
While LaVine is more efficient, both he and Fox are excellent offensive players. But they aren't so great on that end of the court that they should never have to play without the ball in their hands (like Luka Doncic). So, it is important they also have some off-ball excellence as well.
LaVine is also better in this department. There is more to playing off-ball than just shooting, but 3-point percentage is still a solid indicator of this part of the game. On the season, LaVine is hitting 43.7% of his threes. On the flip side, Fox is at just 31.2% from downtown.
We still see a similar disparity when we remove self-created threes and focus on those generated from the catch-and-shoot. According to NBA.com, LaVine is hitting 40% of these threes over the last three years while Fox is converting on them at just a 35% clip.
Reason #3: Fox's defense has fallen off
Many people would tell you that LaVine has been a slightly better offensive player than Fox this season. But those who say this and still see Fox as the better player argue that his defense is superior enough to make up this gap and then some.
This may have been the case last season when Fox led the NBA in total steals (tied with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander). But his defense has taken a major step in the wrong direction in 2024-25. After placing in the 88th percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus in 2023-24, Fox is now just in the 32nd percentile this season.
You could say this is because he was unhappy in Sacramento, and as a result, he decided to mail it in on the defensive side of the ball. But that argument misses the fact that his DEF EPM standing was even worse than it is now in the four years prior to last season (2019-23).
Now, Fox is still a better defender than LaVine, but not so much so that it makes up for him being the inferior offensive player.