Anthony Slater on Fox’s All-NBA play, Monk starting

Dec 5, 2024, 4:03 PM | Updated: 4:38 pm

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 13: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings celebrates with Malik Mo...

De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings celebrates with Malik Monk #0 after making a three-point shot at the end of the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Golden 1 Center on March 13, 2023 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Sactown Sports writer

The Drive Guys, Kevin “Whitey Gleason” and Kyle Draper, play-by-play broadcaster for the Sacramento Kings, were joined by The Athletic’s Anthony Slater to discuss De’Aaron Fox playing at an All-NBA level, Malik Monk being moved into the starting lineup, the state of the Western Conference, and more.

Anthony Slater, when asked about the recent play of Fox, said the guard has been playing at an All-NBA level and, in his mind, there should be “zero fault on Fox” for Sacramento’s bumpy start. He just needs more from the guys around him.

One recent attempt from Mike Brown was moving Monk into the starting lineup for the first time since he signed with the Kings over two seasons ago.

Slater referred to it as “an urgency move,” but it’s worked in their favor so far.

Topics discussed include:

De’Aaron Fox playing at an All-NBA level
Why starting Malik Monk is “an urgency move”
What team and players could be involved in trades this season?
The wild, wild NBA Western Conference
Teams that have impressed early
Positive signs in the Kings 120-111 win over the Houston Rockets

The full interview is available on the Sactown Sports 1140 YouTube page or using the link above.

More Kings coverage from Sactown Sports

Isaac Jones, an undrafted free agent out of Washington State, turned heads in Summer League after signing a two-way contract with the Kings in June. Now, the 24-year-old rookie is making an impact for a Sacramento bench that is without veteran forward Trey Lyles (calf strain).

Jones has thrived in a reserve role, averaging 9.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks on 71 percent shooting from the field over his past five games.

The 6’8 forward has posted career-high performances in back-to-back games, scoring 12 points in each of his past two games–the most-recent outing being in a much-needed win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.

This week, Allen Stiles had a chance to catch up with Jones on his journey from being an undrafted free agent to becoming a 20-minute-per-night player in an NBA rotation.

Check out the full interview below: