Advanced metric says that De'Aaron Fox is one of the best in the NBA at killing giants

The small ball era is long gone, and traditional big men are back in style. That means that there are a lot more giants occupying the paint.

As a general rule, whenever you have a statuesque figure in your lineup, you want to keep them as close to the paint as possible on defense (so they can use their size to provide some rim protection). That is why you often see guys like Rudy Gobert or Victor Wembanyama stationed in what is known as "drop coverage" when defending the pick-and-roll.

As you've surely heard before, the best way to defang a giant paint protector is with pull-up triples...AND soft floaters in the short midrange area. Since these towering rim guardians make it hard to get all the way to the rim, a little push shot from about ten feet out is the next best thing. Plus, floaters are ultra-difficult to contest since drop defenders are normally backpedaling.

De'Aaron Fox Is A Floater God

De'Aaron Fox (arguably the team's best player) is adept in this practice. A great way to measure a player's floater game is to look at their short midrange percentages. Last year, Fox was in the 77th percentile on short midrange shots among point guards (per Cleaning the Glass). The year before that, Fox finished in the 98th percentile.

But while short midrange percentage is a good proxy for measuring floater prowess, it is an imperfect science, as not all short midrange shots are necessarily floaters. An even better way to measure a player's floater game is to look at the invaluable BBall Index's Floater Talent metric. When you look at that, Fox is among the best in the business.

Look at some of the names on this list. Jalen Brunson, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kyrie Irving. Some of the very best players in the league. Just like our guy Fox.

Here's nearly two minutes of him snatching souls with his float game.

Given how much drop coverage has proliferated our game, having a guy like Fox who can counter it is a huge plus, especially in a Western Conference that touts so many great classical centers. If the Kings can return to the playoffs in 2024-25, look for Fox's tear-drop jumper to be a massive weapon for them.