The Los Angeles Lakers are rumored to be interested in De’Aaron Fox. There are question marks about his game, but he’d be a good for the Lakers.
With the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, it seems like the Los Angeles Lakers have an easy choice with UCLA’s Lonzo Ball sitting there and a need in their backcourt.
Ball turned UCLA into one of the most exciting teams in college basketball last season with his ability to set up teammates and knock down 30-footers.
However, the Lakers aren’t locked into him just yet.
Word out of LA is Lonzo Ball is heavy favorite at #2, but will take a long hard look at De'Aaron Fox too. Hoping for a head to head workout.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 17, 2017
After Lonzo Ball, the guy with the most intrigue among the Los Angeles brass is Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox. Fox, also a freshman, finished last season with averages of 16.7 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 47 percent from the floor. The Wildcats even defeated Ball’s Bruins to advance to the Elite Eight.
Fox is the antithesis of Ball in many ways. While Ball is a knockdown shooter, Fox struggled this past season, shooting just 25 percent from beyond the arc. While Ball is projected to struggle on the defensive end, Fox’s ability to defend is one of his strong suits, thanks to his great speed, good defensive awareness and a solid wingspan.
It is that array of skills that makes him a good fit for the Los Angeles backcourt.
Offensively, he doesn’t have much range from the outside, but he’s good at getting to the basket. Per Hoop-math.com, 48 percent of Fox’s field goal attempts this past season were at the rim and he converted on 64 percent of them. Only 19 percent of his shots at the rim were assisted, suggesting that Fox has no issues creating space and driving to the lane without help.
Fox’s shooting woes also get quelled with fellow guards D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson alongside him. Both Clarkson and Russell are above-average shooters and could provide Los Angeles with adequate spacing despite having a non-shooter in Fox on the floor. If Fox were to become a decent shooter, then you would have a nice trio of guards there with various skills.
Defensively is where Fox seems to be the best fit. Neither Russell and Clarkson are great defenders, despite having great size. Fox, however, has good size and the upside to be a great defender. He’s not a shutdown defender at the moment – his recovery speed is shaky and guys can get past him – but he has the tools to be a good defender in time.
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While Fox’s upside isn’t as high as John Wall, there are some fair comparisons in his game if he does evolve into a solid shooter.
The best comparison? Jrue Holiday. After one season at UCLA, Holiday came out and was essentially a big guard who couldn’t shoot. After shooting 30 percent from three-point range as a freshman, Holiday has combined solid playmaking to an improved shot to become one of the more underrated point guards in the league.
If he doesn’t become a decent shooter, then we’re talking about the Elfrid Payton types. Ricky Rubio is the best-case scenario for a point guard who can’t shoot, but Fox doesn’t have the pure playmaking Rubio has in his game. I also doubt that Fox will become as good of a defender Rubio is today.
Those last two paragraphs are the reason why the Los Angeles Lakers can’t select him with the second overall pick.
Fox’s variance is too large to use a top-two pick on. However, if Los Angeles becomes enamored with Fox, the idea of trading back with Sacramento and netting both the fifth overall and 10th overall picks is enticing. It gives Los Angeles the chance to grab two young players – say Fox and Indiana’s OG Anunoby – to help with the team’s rebuild and remodel.
Next: 2017 NBA Mock Draft: Post-Lottery edition
The Los Angeles Lakers have been attached to Fox quite a bit in the early draft process. While there are positives to his game, there are some questionable negatives, some that players never recover from. The Lakers could consider Fox, but if they do, the best move is to trade down and acquire an additional asset.