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Measurables: 6’3, 187 pounds
Statistics: 16.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.6 APG
Strengths:
De’Aaron Fox comes into the NBA with a lot of tools that should translate well from his days in college. His biggest draw is his speed , at 6’3, Fox has elite speed can only be matched by point guards such as John Wall, Russell Westbrook and other freak athletes at the position. His end to end speed is amazing and if he can get the rebound it’s off to the races. He already shows the ability to change speeds in full court and half court situations and is rarely out of control. Offensively, he can get to the rim whenever necessary and has shown the ability to create for his teammates when the situation called for. He possesses a floater which is vital for a point guard of his body type. At the next level, I look for him to draw a lot of fouls and to constantly put pressure on the defense especially against bigger guards. Defensively is where he shines, because of his athletic gifts he is able to challenge ball handlers from 94 feet and is very capable in pick and roll defense. He plays the passing lanes extremely well as evidence of his 1.5 steals per game. I anticipate that for years to come he will be one of the premier two way stars in the league. Lastly his intangibles are a huge selling point. At Kentucky, he was considered the leader, which is all the more impressive when you see a roster that included Malik Monk, Isaiah Briscoe and Edrice Adebayo.
Weaknesses:
De’Aaron Fox’s weaknesses starts and ends with his jump-shot. At Kentucky he shot 24% from the three-point line during his lone college season. There is some silver lining though, as he did shoot 54% from the floor on two point shots.This shows that he does have the potential to score without the use of the three-point shot. Due to his position being a point guard, he can be a little passive at times, which leads to his man being able to sag off and play a higher level of help defense. The key to De’Aaron Fox being an all-star caliber player will come down to his ability to knock down shots, but the NBA has shown that most players develop jumpshots via a lot of reps in the gym.
Best Fit:
De’Aaron Fox’s game lends well to any team needing a star at the point guard position, teams like the Dallas Mavericks and the New York Knicks could use a defensive minded stopper at the point guard position, however, his best team fit is the Sacramento Kings. Sacramento is in desperate need of a leader on the floor and outside of Lonzo Ball, Fox has just as much leadership qualities as anybody else in this draft. The Kings also have defensive bigs in Skal Labissiere and Willie Cauley Stein, who will further enhance his defensive ability as well as get those guys easy shots. So hopefully Kings management gets out of their own way and gets their point guard of the future in this draft.
Player Comparison:
De’Aaron has the physical tools we only see once every 5 years. His best case scenario is a more natural scoring John Wall. They both possess top end speed, can get their teammates involved, and are elite defenders at their positions. What separates Fox from Wall is the former has the potential to score in a variety of ways. Fox seems more comfortable pulling up off the dribble as well as creating his own shot. The worst case scenario for Fox is the worst case for any point guard that can’t shoot but is ultra-fast and that is Ish Smith. If that’s too harsh, then the upper level of the floor is Ricky Rubio. Fox’s shooting development will determine his success.