Sacramento Kings: De’Aaron Fox Is the one to lead a playoff push

With little chance at the playoffs, Sacramento Kings’ starting point guard De’Aaron Fox is on a mission to prove the doubters wrong.

After being on hiatus for the last three months, the NBA is due to restart their season in a few weeks. With just 22 teams invited to play in Orlando, Florida, the Sacramento Kings were fortunate to receive a ticket to the big show. But their presence is irrelevant to many in the NBA community.

Since the news released that the NBA will return, many sports media outlets have given their thoughts on which teams will make the playoffs, go far in the tournament and can serve as legitimate title contenders.

Down below are some of the predictions made by “experts” on which teams in the lower half of the Western Conference could sneak their way into the postseason. As you can see, the Kings were not heavily favored. They were not even considered an option at all.

Even as a Kings fan, I cannot complain. What have they done in the last few years? The organization in California’s capital has been the joke of the league due to their zero playoff appearances in over a decade and their track record of incompetence.

The Kings will not receive any respect from their peers and the media until they start consistently winning. Even though that success has not happened yet, they seem to have a guy that is leading them in the right direction.

This guy is De’Aaron Fox. The Kings’ starting point guard. The leader of the team. The person who Vivek Ranadive and Vlade Divac hope will finally turn the franchise around.

Not too long ago, Fox held a press conference talking to local media members about the Kings’ playoff chances when they play in Orlando. In that interview, Fox responded by expressing his dismay for how the media neglected the Kings as a legit playoff contender.

If the Kings are going to have a chance for a playoff berth, Fox must play a big part in why. In the last three years, he’s been the anchor of the Kings’ offense due to his ability to control the pace and make plays. As time has gone on, he has been more comfortable running the offense as well as lead by example on the defensive end. Especially right before the NBA went on hiatus.

For the Kings, finding their “face of the franchise” has been difficult. Names like Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas and more have been tried but eventually unsuccessful in lifting the Kings to relevancy. But the good news is that the search may end with De’Aaron Fox.

With Fox, the potential is there for him to become an elite playmaker and defender. Since being drafted in 2017, he has constantly shown a gradual level of improvement towards his potential which has made NBA fans (not just Kings fans) excited for his future.

Last year, Fox and the Kings surprised the NBA with their fast-paced offense that had them in the running for a playoff spot until the final weeks of the regular season. Unfortunately, the purple and white fell short of their goal, but in a couple of weeks, they will have the chance to finish business.