Ranking the 5 most important players on the Sacramento Kings Heading into 2024-25
By Mat Issa
#2: De'Aaron Fox
Sabonis isn't the Kings' best player because that honor belongs to Fox. I understand why someone would value Sabonis over Fox. But for me, I think Fox's value as a legitimate two-way guard is more versatile from a team building standpoint than Sabonis' skillset as an offense-first big man who isn't the cream of the crop when it comes to offensively-slanted centers.
Last season showed us that you don't need a top five player on your roster to win an NBA Championship. With that said, you still want your best player to be as good as possible.
For Fox, with players like Sabonis, DeRozan, Huerter, and Monk all set to play significant minutes, the Kings are going to need him to maintain the amplified level of defense he played last year. Fox has a strong case as the best defender among high-usage point guards in the association (87th percentile in DEF EPM).
With DeRozan and Sabonis both firmly established as below-average 3-point shooters, the Kings are also going to need Fox to continue his growth in that area. Before last season, Fox only had one year where he shot over 32.4% from downtown. However, last year, Fox was able to balloon that number up to 36.9%. Hitting threes at that rate will go a long way toward ensuring the fit between him, DeRozan, and Sabonis goes smoothly.
The reason Fox doesn't claim the top spot here is because, as we've said numerous times already, the Kings have a ton of on-ball creation. So, if Fox does have a bad night here and there, Monk, DeRozan, and Sabonis should be able to temporarily pick up the slack. On the flip side, the player ranked number one on our list is a one of one on our roster.