NBA Draft 2017 Prospect Watch: De’Aaron Fox

Mar 24, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard De'Aaron Fox (0) dribbles the ball as UCLA Bruins guard Aaron Holiday (3) pursues in the second half during the semifinals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard De'Aaron Fox (0) dribbles the ball as UCLA Bruins guard Aaron Holiday (3) pursues in the second half during the semifinals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
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Mar 24, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard De’Aaron Fox (0) looks to pass the ball against UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) in the second half during the semifinals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard De’Aaron Fox (0) looks to pass the ball against UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) in the second half during the semifinals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Strengths

Fans of Fox tend to talk about his Westbrookian intensity and ability to slice through defenses the most, but Fox was a complete player at the point at Kentucky. He averaged 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game in just 29.6 minutes.

Those are far from superstar numbers, but they’re certainly indicative of a complete player who makes an impact on all facets of the game. From scoring to facilitating to rebounding to playing defense, Fox is always involved.

He’s a tenacious defender who can dominate some matchups. Most notably, in that previously-mentioned Sweet 16 game Fox absolutely shut down Lonzo Ball, who simply walked to the locker room and declared for the NBA Draft afterwards. Fox dropped 39 points in that game while holding Lonzo to 10.

Fox’s ability as a passer is probably being underrated at this point. He led the SEC in both assists and assists per game, and was top five in win shares, points produced per game and offensive win shares amongst SEC players last season.

Having the ability to score is great, but finding that sweet spot between facilitating for teammates and getting your own shots is really what makes point guards special. The position has a definite learning curve, but Fox seems skilled already at finding that balance, something his NBA teammates will certainly appreciate.