Mike Brown challenges De’Aaron Fox to set the tone early

Dec 19, 2024, 1:21 AM

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 29: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings directs teammates in t...

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Sactown Sports writer

“(De’Aaron) Fox has to step up,” Mike Brown said after Wednesday’s practice.

On the night prior, the Sacramento Kings suffered a one-point loss to the Denver Nuggets, primarily due to their lackluster start.

The Nuggets were met with little resistance early, jumping out to a 24-9 lead by the time Fox was subbed out at the 6:13 mark. Most of their damage was done in the paint, which Brown emphasized to his players at that morning’s shootaround.

“I thought, especially in the first quarter, we weren’t locked in on the small things,” he said. “The way they scored in the paint in that first quarter was inexcusable.”

Twenty-four of Denver’s 41 first-quarter points came in the paint. While it was a teamwide lack of execution, Brown specifically called out his star point guard.

“It starts with me and ends with me, but Fox has to step up,” Brown continued. “He’s a great player on the verge of being a superstar, and there are those guys, and there are the superstars that win at a high level and part of his responsibility, starting with him.”

It doesn’t excuse the efforts of Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk, or anyone else. Brown’s messaging is more of a compliment to the caliber of player he thinks Fox can be as the leader of this organization.

Let’s look at some of those early moments Brown referenced from their 130-129 loss.

As Russell Westbrook drove to the basket in the play below, Fox turned his head toward the ball while Jamal Murray relocated to above the break.

some of Fox’s Q1 mishaps:

just got caught ball watching here pic.twitter.com/wK1ZaO64mk

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) December 19, 2024

Unaware of his matchup’s movement, De’Aaron Fox allowed Westbrook to find his wide-open teammate from beyond the arc. Three-points.

Denver’s seven offensive rebounds in the opening quarter were a big part of their success and a prime example of the lack of focus Sacramento displayed early on. Again, it’s not all on Fox, but he contributed.

gotta help secure the dreb rather than just watching: pic.twitter.com/JUzDoHkdUw

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) December 19, 2024

Sealing off DeRozan, Aaron Gordon received a post-entry pass from Michael Porter Jr. Doug McDermott displayed solid effort to help deny the first attempt, but Gordon quickly secured his misses before finally getting the tip-in to go. Fox, not far behind him, was just watching. He realized his responsibility to help on the glass too late.

The same could be said for Sabonis and Monk on that play, but Coach Brown holds Fox to another standard as the team leader and best player. He’s carried that same tune since being named the Kings’ head in 2022.

When asked how he’s seen Fox respond to that messaging and high standards, Brown said, “he’s great.”

“He’s going to look you in the eye, and he’s going to take, and he’s going to try to respond. That’s also what a superstar does too. At the end of the day, if De’Aaron (Fox) doesn’t want me to be here, I’m not going to be here. I understand this is a player’s league, but in the same breath, that’s the chance that I’ve got to take, not only to push him but everybody else. But especially him because if I can push him and he responds to it the right way, he allows me to coach him, then when I coach anybody else, there ain’t much to say because I’m going at him more than I’m going at the other 17 players on the team.”

Mike Brown after Wednesday’s practice (12/18/24)

Too often this season, the Kings have allowed teams to get comfortable early, gaining confidence that carried over throughout the rest of the night. The entire team needs to be better in that aspect.

But, if De’Aaron Fox is going achieve the superstar status that Brown thinks he’s capable of, he can’t be part of the problem. He’s never been an overly vocal leader, but setting the tone by example can be just as, if not more, effective.

“You have a lot of responsibility if you’re that guy, and he’s that guy,” Brown said. “And he can’t be a part of not being locked in, and he damn sure can’t be a part of letting it go if we’re not [locked in] as a team. So, the pressure is on me, and the pressure is on him to go get it done.”

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

Sacramento will continue a five-game homestand on Thursday night in the first of two straight games against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Earlier this season on October 26th, the Kings fell short in Los Angeles, losing to the Lakers by a final of 131-127 as LeBron James took over in the fourth quarter (16 points, five rebounds, six assists in the period).

Be sure to catch all of the Kings vs. Lakers action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PT on The Drive Guys before action tips off at 7:00 PM PT from downtown Sacramento.