Esteemed NBA Analyst and CEO of The Ringer, Bill Simmons, recently predicted during his podcast that De’Aaron Fox would be the best point guard in the NBA
My writing role model and head man over at The Ringer was asked on a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast “five years from now, who’s the best point guard in the NBA?” Simmons responded, “my money is on De’Aaron Fox.” Here’s everything Bill had to say regarding the former Kentucky Wildcat:
"“I just think he has a couple levels up to go. Fox, to me, is like the old-school point guard that combines a lot of different guys that I like. There’s some Westbrook athleticism with him. There’s some Chris Paul run-the-game, doesn’t-really-care-about-his-stats kinda stuff going on. I think he’s incredibly unselfish and he’s just a top-of-the-line awesome teammate, and I just like that guy. When you think about how Phoenix could have taken him 4th and put him Booker, then they took Josh Jackson…oh my God."
Our anime-loving, slick fro-wearing lightning bolt former Cat garnered some high praise from a highly respected NBA analyst, and for good reason. In his second year with the Sacramento Kings, De’Aaron Fox recorded per-game averages of 17.3 points and 7.3 assists. He was just 21 years old. Do you know the list of players 21 or younger to record those numbers for an entire season? (It isn’t long). Here you go:
- Magic Johnson
- Stephon Marbury
- Isaiah Thomas
- Chris Paul
- Allen Iverson
- Trae Young
- De’Aaron Fox
Stats via Sports Reference
That’s some historic company for De’Aaron. And like I mentioned, Fox is just 21 years old. Five years from now, Fox will be 26 and preparing to enter the prime of his career. The leap Fox took on the basketball court from his rookie season to last season was tremendous and earned him a spot in the Most Improved Player conversation. (Simmons also mentioned Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a possible candidate).
I’ll write more about Fox in the coming months when the NBA season approaches, but he is already an elite guard at the professional level; and I agree with Simmons, De’Aaron has the charisma, energy, scoring prowess, defensive competitiveness, passing, and unselfishness to operate as the best true point guard in the entire NBA sometime in the near future.