fbpx
Editorial/Opinion, Men's Basketball, NBA

De’Aaron Fox’s Breakout Year

How the young star is breaking out before our eyes
Posted by Dylan Ryan  |  

In a season that has been ultimately forgettable for the Sacramento Kings, there haS been two bright spots. One has been rookie Tyrese Haliburton and more notably De’Aaron Fox’s breakout performances. In his fourth year in the league, Fox has managed to establish himself as one of the best young guards in the league putting up 25.3ppg, 7.2asts, and 3.5 rebounds. Fox is clearly a force to be reckoned with in this league, but in a dumpster fire of an organization like Sacramento, the national spotlight still isn’t on him.


How did we get here?

Fox was drafted first overall after a stellar season at Kentucky. Alongside fellow freshman Bam Adebayo and Malik Monk, they formed one of the more exciting Kentucky teams of the last decade. As soon as Fox showed up on campus he dazzled right away and led them to the Sweet Sixteen. One of Fox’s more notable moments at Kentucky was him and Monk crying in each other’s arms after they were eliminated from the Sweet Sixteen. After seeing this, I knew Fox wasn’t going to fail; players with his combination of talent and investment typically aren’t ‘busts’. Fox wasn’t an instant success with the Kings, but this is De’Aaron Fox’s breakout year. In 2021 he is an all star talent, but his team certainly isn’t helping his case.

Fox’s combination of speed and vision makes him one of the deadliest players in the league in transition. I see a young John Wall in him as he flashes down the court for an unbelievable finish. At only 23 years old it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t get even better. Even though Fox is such an exciting player, he still has parts of his game to improve. The big knock on Fox has always been his shooting. Fox is shooting 32% from three this year. This isn’t bad, but also isn’t great. Back in the 2018-19 season he shot 37% from the field, so we know the potential is there. If Fox can improve his shooting, we’ll think of him as an MVP not just an all star. 

Can Fox and Kings survive long term?

The major hold back going forward for Fox is his team. While the Kings aren’t terrible, they are not playing at the level they should be. The Kings have gone 3-10 since the trade deadline and the saddest part is  that they were buying at the deadline. Luke Walton is to blame for much of this failure. It’s not all his fault since Marvin Bagely has barely played in his time in Sacramento, but that excuse only goes so far. There is nothing more frustrating as an NBA fan than to watch an inept franchise waste a special talent. Sadly, this is exactly the case right now in Sacramento.

Potential Fallout

One of two things will happen if the Kings aren’t careful.

One – they will continue to suck while Fox keeps being a stud. In this scenario a trade request will probably come sooner rather than later, even though Fox did just signed an extension.

Or, this terrible coaching staff will reinforce regressive habits in Fox and stifle his true potential.

The latter scenario is probably the worst for all parties involved including the fans, so let’s hope they figure it out. In the meantime let’s just sit enjoy the rise of De’Aaron Fox  

Other Stories