Sacramento Kings: De’Aaron Fox will revolutionize the franchise

The Sacramento Kings have been one of the most dysfunctional NBA franchises in the last decade, but De’Aaron Fox will begin to change that

When the annual NBA Draft rolls around in late June, every GM has a tough decision to make when choosing the right guy. Collectively, as fans we can point to teams that draft well, such as the Warriors, Spurs, Celtics, and even the 76ers because who doesn’t trust the process?

The difference from the great teams listed is the Sacramento Kings.

Where do you even start with this franchise? We can start with the cornerstone of the franchise that ended up being traded during all star weekend last season, which was Demarcus Cousins. On June 24, 2010, Cousins was selected at the fifth spot in which retrospectively was a steal in the draft.

After the Cousins’ pick, the decisions made in the front office can be summarized as horrendous. The following draft in 2011, the Kings selected Jimmer Freddete over the likes of Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, and Kemba Walker. The 2012 draft would follow the previous years guidelines when they selected Thomas Robinson with the fifth pick when Damian Lillard went with the following selection. Ultimately, Geoff Petrie would not return to the organization as Kings would acquire brand new owner Vivek Ranadive.

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The 2013 draft only continues the trend of bad picks with brand new GM Pete D’Alessandro. The debut pick for D’Alessandro would be Ben McLemore, who would be selected over Giannis Antetokounmpo and CJ McCollum. At this point it seems to not be a trend but more so a way to waste Demarcus Cousins years in Sacramento because the 2014 draft would only cause concern as to why such a selection was made. In drafting Nik Stauskas, Sacramento had selected a shooting guard three out of four drafts in the first round. After two years, D’Alessandro would be fired.

Vlade Divac, the current Kings GM, who would select in the 2015 and 2016 draft at the time would not make sense either by adding three centers and another shooting guard. Players selected were Willie Cauley-Stein, Georgios Papagiannis, Malachi Richardson, and Skal Labissiere.

Jumping back to DeMarcus Cousins, at the 2017 NBA All-Star break during a press interview directly after the game he learned he had been traded to the Pelicans. In the trade the Kings would receive Buddy Hield and the rights to the 2017 Pelicans first-round pick. Finally, the slightest bit of clarity was presented and strategy was put into effect for this organization.

Fast forward to draft night, June 22, 2017, The Kings have the fifth spot in what is considered one of the deepest drafts since the infamous 2003 class.

Adam Silver begins to walk to the podium and proceeds to say “With the fifth pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings select, De’Aaron Fox, from the University of Kentucky.”

The Kings would make three other selections in the draft with Justin Jackson (15), Harry Giles (20), and Frank Mason (34).

Though the stand out selection would be in the 19-year-old point guard De’Aaron Fox. Fox, is the player that the city of Sacramento desperately needs to change what is known as a dysfunctional franchise into a winning culture.

Together, we will take an in-depth look into how De’aaron Fox will not only influence a winning culture but how he will actually do it with his steadily improving skill set.

De’Aaron’s Influence

Going into the draft his most often comparison would also be a former Kentucky Wildcat John Wall. The reason for the comparison was to the likes of each individuals speed, the ability to attack the basket at ease, and pushing the ball in transition. Besides the comparison, he does have qualities that stand out apart from other rookies. That is his ability to play from free throw to free throw and his pick and roll play

Speed

Whatever you do, do not blink when De’Aaron Fox has the ball. In an instant he has the ability to be on the defensive end one second and finishing at the basket the next. In this clip during summer league action against the Grizzlies he puts his after burners on display.

His speed is a matchup nightmare not only when the ball is in his hands but also when he is off ball. In a half court offense, Fox starts at the 3-point line and is able to cut directly to the basket with an emphatic finish at the rim.

https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/920859678753431552

Now, the inevitability comes with learning the speeds at the professional level. The comparison of Fox himself, John Wall took time learning how to balance the speed of his play to match his teammates and the ability to create offense comes along with that. Fox’s speed will always be there which truly makes him the threat that every team will have to game plan over.

Attacking the Basket

A huge positive comes with speed and that would normally equal a player attacking the basket at will. Fox produces numerous amount of looks at the basket going against centers or even having a clear look. On his first official attempt in the regular season, he blew by his defender and finished at the rim with ease as seen here:

He is also able to create space with one defender and then go one on one with a big at the rim. He replicated that exact play in preseason play here:

Looking into the future, when Fox does become a more consistent player in the paint, teams will begin to collapse on him which opens up opportunities for other players on the wing. It really is an expectation that Dave Joerger should have for the future of his young guard.

Pushing the Ball in Transition

Pushing the ball in transition is merely one of the most important parts of basketball. The essence of getting to the offensive end is crucial and when a player or players are able to beat the defense it makes life easier for coaches. Here we see De’Aaron get to the half court line after receiving the pass and just exploding pass everyone for an easy finish:

With the players that have been drafted over the last handful of years, expect the Kings transition play not only from the young guard to be excellent but the rest of the team. The personnel matches Fox perfectly with two catch-and-shoot guys on the wings and bigs that are able to run to the paint and crash the boards. The future is bright for transition basketball in Sacramento, if you can even say that. Does it make sense? Probably not, but hey De’Aaron Fox is fast so who doesn’t want to see something fantastic happen 10-15 times a game?

Free Throw to Free Throw

De’Aaron Fox’s bread and butter play belongs in between the free throw lines. Running from one end to an immediate pull-up jumper. He has the comfortability to do so because he has a feel for the ball since the play is off the dribble. He put this specific play on display in his debut against the Rockets:

He does this without hesitation, making it impossible to defend with defenders having to sag when this play occurs in transition. But he is not limited to pulling up after one dribble. He shows us this type of play when he played for Kentucky here:

Instead of pulling up for the 3, he notices the free throw to be open. He takes one dribble to get a feel for the ball and to collect his feet. Then simply sinking the 15 foot jumper and going back on defense.

This play will mostly be used in transition but do not think he won’t do this if the opportunity presents itself.

Pick and Roll Play

The pick and roll is easily the most defining play in basketball for usually a big and a guard because of the nightmares it creates for the defense. With it being such a vital part of De’Aaron’s game, as well, there is a montage of the great pick and roll play by him during the summer league:

With your own particular view you can see the mismatches it causes. Whether the big is switched onto De’Aaron he is able to finish at the hoop but is also able to feed the pick player for the easy assist. This type of play will work perfectly with Willie Cauley-Stein for the roll and Skal Labissere for the jumper off the elbow.

As the season progresses and seasons go by, the crisp play should be perfect for all pick and roll play involving the bigs specifically. This could truly be the same pick and roll that is absolutely unstoppable with James Harden and Clint Capela run in Houston.

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The Winning Franchise

De’Aaron Fox will be the player that makes the Sacramento Kings reminiscent to the 2002 team. The flashy play and unstoppable ability will soon loom over his career making him the point guard that not only the executives of the team want but also what the fans want from him.

At the end of the season, we should see Fox winning or being in the top 3 of the Rookie of the Year voting, eventually have a matchup with Lonzo Ball, (I mean as long as Lonzo stops ducking him), a playoff berth within the next 2-3 seasons, and most importantly in due time a championship for the city of Sacramento.

Sacramento Kings fan become excited because De’Aaron Fox will only make the franchise worth talking about.