De’Aaron Fox could be the best prospect in the 2017 NBA Draft. He’s got all the tools hat he needs to be a perennial All-Star. It would appear that some teams prefer Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball, and that
could be a huge mistake.
I’m not saying Fox will definitely be as good as both Fultz and Ball, but he very well could be. The Kentucky guard is drawing a lot of praise during the pre-draft process, leading many to believe he should be a top-three pick.
NBA GM’s would be foolish to not do their due diligence on Fox before making a selection.
Unlike Celtics All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas, Fox has a significant amount of height to him for a point guard. At 6’4 he’s the ideal size for the position. Fox brings a lot to the table, his height is only just the beginning.
Some say Fox might be the quickest player in the NBA Draft. His speed will be a major determining factor in where he lands in the draft. You’ll see Fox shine on the fastbreak, a lot of which he showed in college.
In addition, Fox is going to be able to get to the basket rather fluently. During his time at Kentucky, he scored a good percentage of his points in the paint. A good comparison of his slashing skills would be Eric Bledsoe, who at one point was near unstoppable at the rim.
One thing we need to see from Fox is his assist totals increase. While not terrible with 4.6 per game, teams are going to need Fox to be more heavily involved in the passing game.
We know he can score, evident by his 16.7 points per contest. It’s just going to be interesting as to whether Fox is shoot-first or pass-first point guard.
In fact, Fox should be a surprise and make a few all-defense teams as well. He averaged 1.5 steals per contest at Kentucky. And while he might not be Gary Payton, there is a lot of potential in his defensive game.
The expectation is for De’Aaron Fox to go in the top-five during this year’s draft. Personally, I’d slot him ahead of Ball, who’s not the scorer that Fox will be. Teams with top-three picks might not know who they are taking at this point, but De’Aaron Fox needs to be considered.