NBA: Ranking every team’s best player in 2020-21

22. De’Aaron Fox, PG, Sacramento Kings

Coming into the 2017 NBA Draft, De’Aaron Fox was ranked by many as the fourth-best point guard in the class, behind Markelle Fultz (selected first overall), Lonzo Ball (second), and Dennis Smith Jr. (ninth, but liked by many draft pundits). Three years later, none of the three are with the team that drafted them, while Fox just signed a maximum rookie extension.

Fox is one of the fastest players in the league, able to push in transition like few others. What has more surprisingly developed is his ability to score in the half-court. Fox has added tricks to his arsenal, focused on setting up his teammates and is building a 3-point shot that is still inconsistent. For a Sacramento Kings team lacking in star talent over the past 15 years, Fox is a much-needed building block.

In the Mix: For the first time on this list, a team has a bona fide All-Star player who is head-and-shoulders above the other options on his team. Marvin Bagley was the second-overall pick in 2018 but is yet to put things together, hampered largely by injury and poor roster construction. Rookie Tyrese Haliburton is a high-floor option who could start long-term with Fox in the backcourt. Buddy Hield can shoot but doesn’t always bring much else to the table.