KEY POINTS

  • The Kings disagree with the Bleacher Reports' re-drafting of the 2017 class
  • De’Aaron Fox is showing bigger strides than John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks
  • Fox needs to find a way to push Sacramento to the playoffs

The Sacramento Kings are pinning their future on De’Aaron Fox, barring any unforeseen circumstances such as injuries or bad luck.

The 23-year-old guard was selected fifth in the 2017 NBA Draft for a reason. That class had a lot of names who are living up to their billing such as Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo.

Others have followed, while some are disappointed.

The Bleacher Report recently made a re-draft of the 2017 class, and Fox was notably placed behind John Collins.

Hence, seeing some other NBA players like Adebayo, Mitchell and John Collins who were selected outside the Top 10 did not sit well with the Sacramento Kings as seen on their Twitter response.

Of course, the re-draft was a result of the performances of these players after that time. But in the case of Fox, there is no question that the 6-foot-3 guard is one of the rising young guards in the NBA.

Although his rookie year was not that stellar, the fact is that he has steadily improved those numbers.

He is coming off a season-best performance where he averaged 25.2 points, 7.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in 35.1 minutes in 58 games.

Collins is not the top dog in Atlanta. That right belongs to Trae Young. Regardless, the 23-year-old has been performing well with the role.

Given the chance with another team, he could be a player with a budding future.

As for Ball, there is no denying that he and Fox holds a slight advantage defensively. Both have a longstanding rivalry, and the Kings feel that their prized guard’s performance is a lot better than that of the former UCLA product.

Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers guards De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings
Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers guards De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings Getty Images | John McCoy

It appears to be a petty issue although the Kings feel that their guy deserves some respect–re-draft or not.

The best way to prove that is for the coming season with the recent re-draft possibly something that could push Fox to perform even better.

As for the Kings, having a player of Fox’s caliber is one thing. But unless his efforts can push the Kings to the playoffs, questions will be in the air.

The last time the Sacramento Kings made it to the NBA post-season wars was during the 2005-2006 season.

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