WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?
Coming into the 2017 draft there was a-lot of hype around Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball and Jayson Tatum. I on the other hand was keeping a very close eye on 6’3 De’Aaron Fox out of Kentucky because he just had a great feel for the game, high IQ, Great potential and was super quick.
At Kentucky he averaged:
16.7 ppg – 4.0 rpg – 4.6 apg
Fox used his quickness on offense and was a huge scoring threat in college but never really had a jump shot or consistently good defense.
Dave Joerger and Vlade Divac wanted a point guard and Fox was their guy with the 5th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft.
His rookie season was not exactly the best but he has made improvements
Stats Comparison
17-18 – 18-19
11.6 – 17.9 ppg + 6.3
4.4 – 7.3 apg + 2.9
41% fg – 47% fg + 6%
30% 3p – 38% 3p + 8%
33% – 50% 10-16 ft (midrange) + 17%
(-5.8) – (+8.3) on-off per 100 possesions +14.1!
Fox has helped lead his team to a 16-14 record and the 8th spot in the Western Conference thus far.
While watching film and doing an eye test you can instantly notice this season his defense has improved. He is super quick but he only really used it on the offensive end but now you can see he has much more discipline on the defensive end. Fox is using his quickness to his full advantage to contain his assignment as well as he can.
Fox is also a much better passer and is up there for the bets IQ in the entire NBA clearly shown by his ability to use the off-season to grow from his mistakes. He is a much more efficient scorer and dishes out some great passes to set up his teammates in the right spot at the right time. Coach Joerger has been able to use him at his full potential allowing him to run the game at a fast pace (104.0 2nd in NBA) and just drop buckets on you. Who better to orchestrate that quick offense than the quickest player in the NBA. Of course there is a downside as he is on pace in just 30 games to double his turnovers from last season but he has a much more commanding role. The backcourt of Fox and Hield in my eyes is one of the top in the league and I would take them over Wall and Beal (Don’t go back you read that right).
Fox has been more of a off the dribble three point shooter than a spot up but he is taking much smarter shots and shooting at an average percentage. Off the pick and roll he is a triple threat because he can either put the floater over you, Pull up the mid range or take it to the rack. He can accelerate and decelerate at a great pace which throws his defenders off. Fox also jumped from a 94 Ortg to 111 Ortg (points scored as a team per 100 possessions) which is incredible for a rookie to a sophomore transition. Fox is in my top 7 of favorite players in the league and is a huge threat in transition.
Do you think Fox will be an all star? i certainly think he deserves some votes but definitely next year he will be one.
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