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Last season there were some specific teams you just had to watch, and there were some teams that really just could not be tolerated such as the Mavericks or the Kings. In the 2017-18 season with horrendous performances, the Mavs finished 13th in the Western Conference and the Kings were just one place above them.
However, things have changed since then, both these teams have become reckoning forces this season. Currently, the Kings are 9th in the West and the Mavs are at 11th, so still not at the top, but they are doing significantly better considering the lack of major roster changes.
The Kings, who had an extremely poor performance last year have drastically turned things around with De'Aaron Fox making big moves. Just as the Mavericks have Luka Doncic who has changed image and gameplay for them, at a slower pace Fox has done the same for the Kings.
Luka is averaging a good 18.4 PPG and Fox is at 17.9 PPG this season. Furthermore, the match-up of these two youngsters has been nail-biting to watch. This massive change in gameplay and skill from Fox is forcing a 2017 redraft because those stats no longer make any sense.
The unimpressive performances from Fox in his rookie season were not too surprising as rookie point guards usually don't do too well and thus it was not too alarming. On the other hand what has been alarming has been the speed at which he has been improving. In college, his 16.7 PPG was not too far from where he has improved too, but it was quite far from the season he was drafted in.
Given the underwhelming start Fox had as the Kings point guard, he has really blossomed in the second year of his NBA career. He has broken out of the shell of a newbie and has brought the Kings to a must-watch position.
Each and every rookie drafted above Fox such as Lonzo Ball and Josh Jackson had a significantly better debut season than Fox with the Kings. Fox last season was just an inefficient player. overall.
His shooting percentage was sloppy at just over 11.6PPG, 2.8RPG and 4.4APG, his defense was weak and he couldn't even contribute to assists. Fox had speed on his side, but with his team crashing down around him this made no difference.
In comparison, others from his draft class were doing much better. Lonzo Ball who showed lots of promise only averaged 10.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 7.2 APG and has shown growth ever since. Another top 5 player of the class, Jayson Tatum averaged 13.6 PPG, 5 RPG, and 1.6 APG.
This year things changed, The Kings saw that they were on the road to annihilation and took it upon themselves to reorder the team. they now based their strategy and tactics around their point guard, Fox.
They gave him room to play, room to think and eventually allow his energy to revive the team. the change that has taken place with the minimal change in personnel is astounding. Fox's stats as well have seen major growth along with growth in some of his more intangible skills. Fox has come to lead this team towards better pastures and maybe even the playoffs.
One of the most important contributing factors to the change in both offensive and defensive skills for De'Aaron Fox has been his increased ability to harness his speed. Today, the skill set that De'Aaron Fox brings to the team is really helping them in making them one of the fastest paced teams in the franchise and thus providing them with a large competitive edge. Fox is arguably the fastest player in the NBA today. With him, in the driver's seat, the Kings have become better as they are more effective.
Of the top five draftees from 2017, Fox is the only one who acts in the position of a team leader. He may have his weaknesses, but no one ever expected to see such a turnaround that could have taken place just by giving one person some space and direction. This enthralling environment that has been created through an around Fox makes everyone want to reconsider the entirety of the 2017 draft class.
