De’Aaron Fox Has Returned To His 2020-21 Self
Feb 18, 2022, 10:27 AM | Updated: 10:44 am
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 13: De"u2019Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings dribbles against the Toronto Raptors during the first half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on December 13, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
After a rough start to the season, Fox is on a reminiscent tear
Money can change a lot of things in life.
It can change the way that you live, alter the way that you choose to spend (literally and figuratively) each day–really, it can change who are as a person.
With money, it doesn’t just begin and end with you, though. It can change how others view and perceive you.
We have seen this happen again and again in sports: An athlete signs a massive contract, underperforms, then the fanbase lashes out at said player. This is something that has happened at least once for most professional sports franchises.
It’s been a while since a member of the Sacramento Kings inked a massive contract. For this fanbase, it’s been over twenty years since Hall of Fame forward Chris Webber signed a seven-year, $120 million deal in 2001.
If you didn’t know, a lot has–or in the case of postseason berths, hasn’t–happened for the Kings over the past 16 years.
For a team that hasn’t made the postseason in nearly two decades, inking a massive contract and playing to a standard that fans applaud is a lot to live up to.
Following a strong 2019-20 season, De’Aaron Fox inked a max-extension worth $163 million that runs through the 2025-26 season. On the final year of his rookie contract, the speedy guard posted All-Star numbers in 2020-21, averaging 25.2 points, 7.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game on 47-percent shooting from the field.
Coming into the start of this season, Fox was seen as a potential first-time All-Star and one of the top guards in the league.
Not only was Fox in the good graces of Kings fans, he was seen as the leader of a team that was hopefully on its way to ending the miserable 16-year playoff drought.
Well, it only took a little over 10 games for the 24-year-old to lose some support from the fanbase.
Over the first 11 games of the season, Fox struggled to find a groove as the Kentucky product averaged 18.6 points per game on a rough 39-percent shooting from the field, 20-percent from the three-point line and 68-percent from the charity stripe.
The shots just weren’t falling for Fox, and Sacramento struggled to find wins as head coach Luke Walton was subsequently dismissed during the opening portion of the schedule.
For the first time during Fox’s tenure as a Sacramento King, he was not seen as a bright beacon of hope. He was not seen as the fresh-faced fifth-overall pick that was selected in the 2017 draft.
Going through his worst stretch of play since his rookie season, is seemed as if losing had taken its toll on Fox.
As Fox continued to piece together his offense, second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton took a leap forward in becoming a go-to creator for the Kings.
During a stretch of games that Fox was inactive due to Health & Safety protocols, Haliburton turned into a double-double machine, posing four-straight games with 20+ points and 10+ assists.
Once Fox returned, the struggles continued to mount as the guard averaged 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists on 34-percent shooting from the field and 11-percent from three-point range over four games.
And then, following Sacramento’s December 31st loss to Dallas, the calendar turned to 2022 while Fox officially turned the page on a rough 2021.
In 10 games leading into Fox injuring his ankle on January 19th, the All-Star caliber player that we all saw one season ago returned: 23.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists per game on 50-percent shooting from the field.
As Fox sat out due to lingering ankle soreness, trade chatter started to increase.
Rumors began swirling implying that Kings general manager Monte McNair was open to moving Fox in the right deal, with players like then-Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons and Indiana Pacers All-Star center Domantas Sabonis being mentioned in potential swaps.
Varying reports were released in the days leading up to the February 10th trade deadline, some saying that the Kings were planning on building around Fox and Haliburton, some saying that any player on the Sacramento roster was available in trade talks.
When the day before the trade deadline arrived, the Kings in fact would ship their young guard to the Indiana Pacers in return for the All-Star talent in Sabonis.
Except, the young guard traded to Indiana in the deal would not be De’Aaron Fox, but instead budding fan-favorite Tyrese Haliburton.
Immediately following the trade, Sacramento faced criticism for moving Haliburton.
Haliburton is a player that is young, likable, under contract for a very long time and a talent that has All-Star potential. Of course, Sabonis is now slouch, either.
Monte McNair made the decision to build around a core consisting of Fox, a player that also possesses All-Star talent, and Sabonis, a two-time All-Star that can probably post a double-double with his hands tied behind his back.
Following the initial sting of the trade, Fox returned to action and proved that his 10-game sample-size leading into the injury was no joke.
Over his five most-recent games, Fox is averaging 28.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 50-percent from the field and a much-improved 41-percent from three-point land.
Fox looks much more comfortable on the offensive end, using his noted speed to get into the paint and draw fouls. His step-back looks better each game. The two-man dynamic between Fox and Sabonis has many envisioning a bright future for the duo.
Contrary to what Tyrese Haliburton believes, the Sacramento Kings didn’t want to trade the sophomore guard.
After losing year after year for almost two decades, McNair decided that it was time to roll the dice. Indiana was willing to part with their franchise centerpiece in a deal, but the cost of acquiring good talent is other good talent.
By adding a versatile big like Sabonis into the fold, the Kings have multiple ways to attack you, whether it be on the attack in transition via Fox or craftiness in the post and passing lane via Sabonis.
Would De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton worked if the duo had remained intact long-term?
Maybe. Maybe not. But the fact is this:
De’Aaron Fox is still here.
Any success that Sacramento will have this season and beyond will be contingent on how Fox performs alongside Sabonis. Of course, the team could use more of a presence on the perimeter after trading away plenty of three-point shooting in Haliburton and Buddy Hield, but the groundwork has been laid.
“Fox and the Ox” are the newest hope for this team and fanbase that so desperately hopes for winning basketball.
Not only is De’Aaron Fox back to playing some of the best basketball of his career, but he looks like he is having fun while doing so.
Mental health is an important aspect of many things in life, but it’s a huge component of sports. Coming into an environment like Sacramento following years of success in high school and college, it isn’t easy to lose day after day, year after year.
At a certain point, losing takes its toll on everyone. For a moment, it seemed as if losing had consumed Fox.
Four games after acquiring some fresh faces, the Kings have posted a .500 record and the offense has benefited from a rejuvenated version of Fox, with the team having scoring 114.4 points per game since the trade.
Fox is one of 16 players this season to average 28+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists per game on 50-percent shooting from the field and 37-percent shooting from three-point land over six-game span.
All 15 other players have at least one NBA All-Star appearance.
A happy De’Aaron Fox is a very dangerous De’Aaron Fox.
Mathematically, the jury is still out for the 2021-22 Sacramento Kings. With 22 games remaining on the regular season schedule, the Kings will open up the final stretch of the season in a 3.5 game hole as they chase the 10th-seed spot in the Western Conference standings.
With De’Aaron Fox playing like his 2020-21 self and Domantas Sabonis doing what Domantas Sabonis does best, the Kings could piece together an exciting final push over the final weeks to bring some excitement into Golden 1 Center.
The fans need it, the organization needs it–and you can bet that De’Aaron Fox needs it too.
