A year after being mentioned in trade rumors and an uncertain future in Sacramento, De’Aaron Fox became a first-time All-Star, with more accolades potentially coming and the Kings on the verge of ending their 16-year playoff drought.
“I think, especially when you’re a lottery pick, most of the time, it takes time,” Fox told HoopsHype with the end of the playoff drought nearing. “I was patient. I’ve been through general manager changes and a couple of coaching changes, but I stayed patient and stayed the course. I continued to work on my game even though we weren’t winning. I continued to try and get better. They put a great team around myself and Domantas (Sabonis). It’s paying dividends right now.”
In six seasons with the Kings, Fox has played for four head coaches (Dave Joerger, Luke Walton, Alvin Gentry, and Mike Brown) and two general managers (Vlade Divac and Monte McNair). With consistently swift changes over the years to his coaches and executives above him, Fox questioned his long-term future.
“There were times when you wondered would you still be here?” Fox told HoopsHype. “You could end up being traded as well. I always thought, at some point, the roster would fit together, and everyone would click on all cylinders. My mindset had never been, would this ever work? It was more so when would this work?”
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Last year before the trade deadline, Fox was mentioned in trade discussions with the 76ers for Ben Simmons and in talks with the Pacers for current teammate Domantas Sabonis. Instead, Simmons was traded to the Nets for James Harden and other assets, and rising star Tyrese Haliburton headlined Sacramento’s blockbuster package to land Sabonis.
“It shocked everybody,” Fox told HoopsHype regarding Haliburton’s departure. “Not only fans and media. It shocked the team as well. Seeing the player we were getting back is obviously big. Someone who’s that big, skilled – a very unique skillset – I felt like he was going to make us better.”
Trading Haliburton and acquiring Sabonis gave Fox the keys to the team and a frontcourt star he never played with before, which has resulted in career seasons for Sacramento’s All-Star duo.
Fox is one of 11 NBA players averaging 25 or more points while shooting 50 percent or better from the field this season. For context, the list also includes Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Lauri Markkanen, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Zion Williamson.
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One reason Fox and Sabonis have clicked well together was thanks partly to their first conversation together.
“With both of us being left-handed, one of us had to go left, and the other had to go right,” Fox explained to HoopsHype. “I told him I’ll go right because when we were scouting against them (Pacers), we would always send their ball handler to the right so he couldn’t roll left. Now, you can’t send him and me to the right.”
According to coach Brown, there’s even more potential for the Fox and Sabonis duo looking ahead.
“The growth they’ve experienced this year has been tremendous,” Brown said. “The room that they have to still continue to grow is what excites me. If they were at their ceilings, this journey so far wouldn’t be as much fun because you can see light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t know where that light is yet, and that’s the exciting part about it. Those guys are leading the charge and have embraced everything we’ve asked or suggested of them to do. That’s what’s made us as good as we are.”
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While Sabonis establishes himself early in games, Fox has become Sacramento’s closer. Fox leads the NBA in clutch points scored with 185 and counting while shooting 53.9 percent in such situations with a 22-14 record.
“The crazy part about Fox is he’s barely scratching his potential,” Brown said. “I’m telling you, he’s got a lot of room to grow. I’ve been pleasantly surprised being around him because his ceiling is so high. He’s doing it at the right times. He could literally go out there at the beginning of the games and think about himself and probably average 40. He’s that good. He’s picking the right spots to do it. He’s trying to learn what it means to lead this team not only during games but practices and shootarounds away from the court.”
Brown has also been Fox’s biggest advocate campaigning for him to be considered for All-NBA honors during press conferences with the media.
Fox ranks 10th in usage percentage (29.9), 13th in points per game (25.5), and tied for 17th in assists per game (6.2). Among point guards, Fox ranks fourth in usage percentage, sixth in scoring average, and is tied for 13th in assists average.
When asked if he agreed with Brown’s All-NBA assertion, Fox responded, “I definitely think I should be. I feel like my game speaks for itself, and our team is winning.”
Other keys to Sacramento’s winning success included Fox’s free-agent recruitment of Malik Monk, the team’s acquisition of Kevin Huerter, and the selection of Keegan Murray in the draft, who drew high praise from Fox.
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“I think he (Murray) is one of the best two-way guys in the league,” Fox explained to HoopsHype. “You see what Mikal (Bridges) is doing in Brooklyn now. I think he (Murray) can be that for us. I’ve told him this is a wing-driven league. Most of the best teams in the league have their best players that are wings. I’m not putting pressure on him. He has a lot of things to work on. In his first year, he’s been great for us. I think he has a bright future.”
After praising Murray’s upside, Fox made it clear he feels the Kings can compete with anyone and have a bigger goal than ending the playoff drought.
“We want to win a championship,” Fox told HoopsHype. “That’s the end goal. We love where we’re at, but we’re not satisfied. We know we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
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