Sacramento Kings see De’Aaron Fox step up amid their historic defensive struggles

Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox was already curling stacks of cash in Hulu commercials in anticipation of his own future riches when Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes received lucrative new contracts in 2019.

Former Kings general manager Vlade Divac gave Barnes a four-year, $85 million deal before signing Hield to a four-year extension worth up to $106 million with incentives. New general manager Monte McNair came in and dwarfed those deals in November when he signed Fox to a five-year, $163 million max extension that could reach the $195.6 million super max with incentives. Everybody got the bag, but now somebody has to go get the damn ball.

Instead of inspired leadership and improving returns on their investment in the current roster, the Kings are getting embarrassed, exploited and exposed as the worst defensive team in the league, maybe one of the worst of all-time. They are last in the NBA in opponent field-goal percentage (.503), 3-point percentage (.402) and points per game (123.6). The Kings have the worst scoring defense in the past 25 years of NBA basketball.

The Kings (5-9) have lost three in a row and eight of 10 going into Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers (10-4), a team that trounced them 138-100 on Friday in Sacramento. They have given up at least 122 points in their last eight games, yielding an average of 131.3 over that stretch, a figure that would eclipse the all-time NBA record of 130.77 set by the Denver Nuggets in 1990-91.

“For us, it’s going to come down to defense,” Barnes said. “If we can’t hold a team under 120, it’s going to be a long night.”

Barnes has been solid in what might be his best NBA season. He is an exemplary professional who sets a good example for young players. The Kings know what to expect from Barnes on a nightly basis, but what they really need is the upside that would come from more efficiency, consistency and defense from Fox and Hield.

Once lauded as one of the league’s most promising young backcourts, and now in their fourth season together, Fox and Hield haven’t accomplished much aside from personal wealth and individual accolades. Each is blessed with elite abilities at the offensive end, but both have defensive deficiencies and neither has been good enough in terms of consistency and leadership. Kings coach Luke Walton said it’s time for them to step up.

“As two of our guys that have been here the longest, (players) that obviously we feel very high about the type of players they are with the contracts, we need the leadership, the voice, the finding a way to bring it every night,” Walton said. “It is hard to play in this league. You play a lot of games, but with that comes a lot of responsibility. We’re excited about those guys being two of our main guys, but we, as a group, have to find a way to bring that type of energy … that winning energy, every time we step on the court.”

Fox changing his tone

Fox delivered a valiant effort in an attempt to answer Walton’s call in a 128-123 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday at Golden 1 Center. He erupted for a career-high 43 points and 13 assists with four rebounds and four steals, becoming the franchise’s first player to post 40 points and 10 assists in a game since Nate “Tiny” Archibald did it for the Kansas City Royals on March 13, 1973.

Fox, 23, couldn’t find much satisfaction in a statistical achievement that came in defeat, but teammates said his performance backed up the recent change in tone they have seen from him behind the scenes. Hield pointed to Fox’s aggressiveness and the way he kept his chest in front of the man he was guarding.

“That’s one of the better all-around games I’ve seen him play his whole career, and that’s what we need from him to show he can be that All-Star player that we need,” Hield said. “To put on games like this, especially when the offense is down, he’s a guy who can carry the load. … The way he’s been carrying himself lately in practices and games and talking and being a leader has been showing.

“They always say who is given much, much is required,” Hield added, referring to a passage from Luke 12:48. “I just think he knows that he can give more than the past games he’s been showing. I think his tone that he’s coming out with and he’s setting for his team is great. In practices, his voice is being heard. You know, like, we heard his voice, but now we’re hearing his voice and he’s just being the leader we need him to be.”

The Kings want Fox, possibly the fastest point guard in the league, to attack defenses with speed and aggression. Sometimes that means scoring. Sometimes it means making plays for others. Part of the challenge for Fox is finding the right balance from night to night.

“I kind of a lot of times pick and choose my spots,” Fox said. “I’ve been told that I need to do it more — more often than not.”

Walton said Fox was exceptionally good against the Pelicans.

“He did a masterful job of getting in the paint, creating pace opportunities, creating open looks for other people and then scoring when we needed scoring,” Walton said. “So much of the fourth-quarter games will come down to somebody just finding a way to get buckets. I thought De’Aaron did that at a very elite level tonight.”

Lessons on leadership

Fox has been the face of the franchise since the Kings selected him out of Kentucky with the No. 5 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, but leadership is an acquired trait in the NBA.

In a moment of reflection following the game against New Orleans, Fox talked about the process of becoming a leader as an emerging young star in a locker room with veteran voices. The biggest lesson he has learned about leading an NBA team?

“That it takes a lot,” Fox said. “This ain’t easy. You can talk about what you did in high school and in college, but you take it to a totally different level if you want to be one of those guys in this league. It’s much more than just being able to score the ball. It’s much more than just being able to get an assist or get guys in the right positions.

“It takes a lot to be a leader and to be one of the best players in this league, and I think I struggled with it the first couple weeks of this year, but it’s something that you have to learn. It’s not something that you’re just born with or anything like that. You have to learn how to do that in this league and I think I’m getting better at it.”

Fox is averaging 20.5 points and 5.8 assists, down slightly from his 2019-20 totals. He shot 42.5% from the field and 31% from 3-point range over the first seven games. Over the past seven games, he shot 53.6% from the field and 37.9% from beyond the arc. Hield has improved his numbers as well, shooting 42.9% from 3-point range over the past four games after shooting 33% over the first 10 games.

“I definitely needed to play better,” Fox said. “I don’t think I’ve come out this season playing that well or playing to where anybody here is expecting me to play, so, yeah, I know I need to be a lot better. I think there’s more offensively and defensively that I’m able to do.”

Fox may not have felt a need to assert himself this way as the Kings went 3-1 to begin the season, but he recognizes it now.

“We started the season well, but obviously it’s a long season and we’re in one of those downhill moments,” Fox said. “As a point guard and as one of the leaders on the team, I know I’ve needed to be more vocal, whether it’s in a huddle, in the locker room, in practice. I know I have to step up even more.”