Sitting on the longest playoff drought in American sports, the Sacramento Kings have a lot to play for this season. After trading away Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton last season, this is the first time their new roster will start the campaign together, and there is a lot of optimism about what they can do on the floor together.
But when it comes to winning games consistently, the Kings will need the most from De’Aaron Fox, who has yet to break out into a franchise player. While Fox still has many questions to answer about his game, many were convinced he wouldn’t;t stick around very long anyway.
But, as he recently told The Sacramento Bee, he has no desire to leave the Kings and has never actually requested a trade despite all the hardships the team has faced.
(via MSN):
“I’ve never really considered requesting a trade or anything, even through the really bad (times) that we’ve had here,” Fox said. “For me, if they wanted a change and I was traded, then that’s the way the business works. Guys who get paid more than me have been traded. Guys who don’t make a lot of money have been traded as well, so just knowing that you could be traded at any second anyway, I’m not really thinking about that, but I want to win. I want to win here and I’ve said that many times, but I think now we have the team to do that. I think this is the most talented team that I’ve been a part of since I’ve been in the NBA. Probably not even close.”
De’Aaron Fox Has Big Expectations For The Sacramento Kings This Season
Even more good news for Kings fans: Fox is confident that his squad can make the playoffs.
“I’m extremely confident,” Fox said. “We’ve added guys that can pass the ball, guys that can shoot the ball, guys who are athletic. Especially with a defensive-minded coach like Mike, who can scheme and do all this stuff, but obviously for us, we have to want to defend and that’s where I think our future lies. We’re going to be a team that can score the ball. I don’t think that will be a problem. Even if we’re not shooting well, we have guys that can touch the paint, get open shots, get offensive rebounds. We have guys who are athletic enough to do those things, but at the end of the day we have to be able to stop people. I think we have the personnel that can do it, and we also have a coach who’s going to demand it, so I think that’s great for us.”
It remains to be seen how the Kings will shape up against the other competitors in the West. With teams like the Warriors, Clippers, and Lakers all likely to be competitive, it’s not going to be easy for Sacramento to secure a playoff position.
But with Fox at his best and Sabonis ready to support him on the perimeter, Sacramento could surprise some people this season and finally take a step in the right direction for the first time in years.
