De’Aaron Fox 2017 NBA Draft Profile

Out of this year’s Kentucky NBA prospects, De’Aaron Fox is likely to be the highest-picked player, and he’s also made the biggest move up the boards.

The star point guard finds himself to be a projected top-five pick after a great postseason run in which he led the Cats to an SEC Championship and an Elite Eight appearance. Let’s see how his body of work stacks up.

Draft Combine Measurables

Height: 6’3 1/4”

Weight: 169.6 lbs

Wingspan: 6’6 1/2”

Standing reach: 8’4”

Analysis

Fox offers a lot to love for such a young point guard. He’s immediately going to be one of the fastest players in the league, and with the ball in his hands, he might even be the fastest. He’s great at scoring off of screens and he can slash to the basket as well as any guard in this draft. When it comes the athleticism, he’s got more than any NBA franchise could ever ask for. That’s why many are comparing him to John Wall.

On top of that, he’s one of the most intense on-ball defenders you’ll see. He’s well-conditioned, allowing him to maintain defensive intensity, and he won’t hesitate to press his man the entire length of the floor, leading to forced turnovers and buckets in transition.

Oh, and he’s about as charismatic as it gets. NBA scouts and GMs love that fact that he’s aced every single interview; he’s handled both team meetings and media appearances with the utmost professionalism and character. He’s just as good off the court as he is on it.

But with all the athleticism, intensity and charisma he has, he also has glaring holes in his game. For one, his jump shot is abysmal. One of the reasons he’s compared to John Wall is the lack of a jumper coming out of college, but even Wall was better than Fox. Wall shot 32.5% from three-point range his freshman year at Kentucky, while Fox shot just 24.6%.

Fox also doesn’t drive into both sides of the lane, making the best aspect of his offense rather predictable. And on top of that, he’s extremely skinny. His combine weight of 169.6 lbs is about 17 lbs lighter than what Kentucky had him listed (187 lbs). Either the weight measurement wasn’t listed correctly by Kentucky, or Fox has lost a ton of weight. I’d be willing to bet on a little bit of both.

But a jumper can be improved (just ask Wall), tendencies can be broken, and weight can be put on. At the end of the day, Fox’s athleticism is something you see once in a generation. Once he hits his physical prime, he’ll likely be faster and shiftier than anyone else in the NBA.

Draft prediction

There’s no way Fox falls out of the top five. The Los Angeles Lakers have interest, though they’ll probably take Lonzo Ball, but even after that, the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings will have interest at picks No. 4 and No. 5, and if Boston turns around and trades the No. 3 pick they just acquired from Philadelphia, there’d likely be interest with that No. 3 pick.

The safest bet is to say he goes to Phoenix at No. 4. They love former Wildcats out West, and Fox would be a great addition to their backcourt of the future, with Devin Booker starring at the shooting guard spot and Tyler Ulis coming off the bench.

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