De'aaron Fox

[kingjawn100]

Curious how the rest of you assess Fox so far this year. Here's my honest breakdown given the hype that was built up when he got drafted...

PLEASANT SURPRISE: SHOOTING, MOXIE
there were concerns that he'd be a Rondo-type shooter where you wouldn't have to guard him outside the paint. 41%/33%/73% is by no means great but its actually a better than i was expecting. His mid-range shot seems solid and when he has confidence his outside shot is a real weapon.

As far as Moxie, i love the fact that he wants the ball in his hands at the big moments. He also seems to keep his confidence even when playing poorly.

WHAT I EXPECTED: DEFENSE
Save the 50 points that Lillard dropped on him Fox's defense has been solid. Point guard is the toughest position in the league to guard and there haven't been a ton of times where he's just gotten abused on that end. You would like him to be less cautious and go for more steals ("swipathefox" is only 3rd on the team in steals) but this is pretty much where i expected him to be.

DISAPPOINTED: POINT GUARD SKILLS, DRIVING/FINISHING
The biggest knock i have on Fox is that he doesn't seem like a natural point guard. He still seems a fish out of water trying to set up his teammates. He rarely throws a guy open and usually just passes to someone then lets them create. This has me skeptical of his long term potential as a starting PG (by comparison John Wall averaged twice the amount of assists as Fox as a rook)

Also it may be he's adjusting to the physicality of the NBA or that he just needs to put on weight but he seems very reluctant to drive to the rim at times. He's averaging less than 3 free throw attempts per game which is way too low considering the ball is in his hands so much. As for his finishing, his field goal pct at the rim is 53.8, one of the lowest on the team.

OVERALL
All in all i like what i see but am mildly disappointed. I came into the season thinking he could be our #1 scoring option for the next 10 years and at this point at best i'd say he'll be the second or third option on a winning team.