Fox, Kings play to their identity in promising win vs. Suns

Fox, Kings play to their identity in promising win vs. Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – Through 11 games over 21 days of the 2024-25 NBA season, the Kings’ identity became harder and harder to decipher.

During their 12th Wednesday night, a 127-104 win over the Phoenix Sunsthey finally unlocked it — and Kings star point guard De’Aaron Fox had the key.

Fox shot a career-best 36.9 percent from 3-point range last season on a career-high 7.8 attempts per game. This season, he has struggled mightily from beyond the arc, shooting just 28.2 percent on 6.5 attempts. He is playing through a finger injury on his left shooting hand, which likely contributes to the decline.

But Wednesday night was like the Fox we knew four or five years ago, showing the part of his game that has made him such a special player since entering the league as a 19-year-old rookie. He utilized his unmatched quickness to get to the paint and create for himself and others.

He didn’t attempt a single 3-point shot until 1:33 remained in the first half. He had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 18 minutes in the first half, with two rebounds, four assists and two steals in that stretch. His next and final 3-point attempt came in the fourth quarter, which was nothing but net from 25 feet.

Fox finished with 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 from downtown with six rebounds and 10 assists. He also made six of his eight free throw attempts and was a plus-19 in plus/minus rating in 32 minutes.

Vintage fox.

“Just the emphasis on getting to the paint,” Fox said when asked about his shot selection Wednesday. “I think one (3-pointer) was off the dribble, one was a catch-and-shoot. But other than that, we pretty much tried to touch the paint. And I think every time we is able to touch the paint and get open looks, I think we’re a better shooting team, so pretty much just focus on that.

“(Kings assistant coach) Luke (Loucks) talked to me about it and I’m just trying to be able to execute it. Get teammates open looks, get to the free throw line, whatever.”

In a league that glamorizes 3-point shooting and unimaginable logo imagery, it’s easy for players to get lost in what’s wanted versus what’s necessary for their team.

For Fox, Brown needs his star point guard to get back to basics and play basic basketball as things pay off for both him and the team — just as they did Wednesday.

“This is what we need from Fox,” Brown said after the game. “He’s the fastest guy in the league. He’s the best guard finisher in the league, but our spacing has to be right, and our spacing was pretty good tonight. I mean, when it’s there for him, he’s going to go downhill , and it’s up to us to make sure that happens, and then it’s up to him to make sure he stays aggressive and gets into the paint where he’s lethal.”

Despite his early struggles this season, Fox still has the green light to shoot the 3-ball when it’s the right basketball play — and he should. But when he’s in his bag attacking the basket with speed and power, there are so many lethal options he can pursue at the moment: get to the rim, pull up and knock down the jump shot like the mid-range champion he is, find Domantas Sabonis or whatever any big man cutting or dish it out to a shooter waiting on the perimeter.

To is the Sacramento Kings offense. To is their identity. And to is what was on full display Wednesday.

“Like I said before, I think it’s the way we touch the paint,” Fox said of what worked for Sacramento’s offense in Wednesday’s win. “I think you get two feet into the paint and then you spray. Sometimes it might not be the person who takes a shot, but now the defense is in rotation and it could be swing, swing, a second touches the paint, swing, swing, shot When we play, we don’t play to get the assist constant rotation.

“And I think that’s when you start getting open looks. And I mean, of course, everybody knows that it’s a lot easier to stand there, catch the ball and shoot than it is to have to run away from the screen or do it ourselves. So if we’re able to do that, if we’re able to create advantages and then play off of that, I feel like it makes those shots a lot easier.”

The numbers also back it up.

Sacramento shot a season-best 53.6 percent from 3-point land. Trey Lyles, looking to find his groove again after dealing with a groin injury, finished with a season-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, with five rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes from the bench. Keegan Murray and Sabonis each added three triples, Kevin Huerter had two and Fox, Jordan McLaughlin, Keon Ellis and Colby Jones each added one.

Two seasons ago, Sacramento’s newfound success was built on its historic offense structured around speed, ball movement, DHOs and volume 3-point shooting.

Last year, the Kings hoped to maintain a strong offensive showing while emphasizing defensive growth, with physicality being a word Brown has probably thrown around a thousand times.

But with so much emphasis on defense, the shooting numbers on the other end of the floor dropped for several players. One of the most popular of the underwhelming season in which the Kings missed the playoffs were players like Murray, whose role was limited to a catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter the season before as a rookie, blossoming into an incredible defender, opening the passage to two-way stardom.

But silverware and moral victories aren’t enough in the NBA — especially not in the stacked Western Conference.

Within this year, it was time for the Kings to choose their identity and stick with it for 82 games. Of course, defense will always be important to any team’s success – especially one coached by Brown.

The Kings have already shown significant growth on that side of the ball in a small sample size this season, with players buying into Brown’s two-year defensive plea. Huerter’s growth from his first Kings season to now is nothing short of remarkable. Fox fully lives up to his “Swipa” nickname with his steals, but he has grown to be a much better overall defender since his partnership with Brown.

While all that has been a reassuring sign — ie not and should not be their game. At least not until their size problem is solved.

What they have to rely on is what helped them win Wednesday’s game: their offense and more specifically their 3-point shooting.

“I thought in the second half we played to what our identity is,” Brown said after the game. “We always talk about playing physical. Our guys did that. They did a heck of a job defensively and tried to be physical. We always talk about playing fast, 22 fast break points for the match. That was right on the right foot. And then talking we about playing together.

“I thought this was one of our best games doing what we know how to do, which is touch the paint and spray it or just move the ball forward, especially against teams that are in a tough shift. So our ability to do those things tonight played into what our identity is, and it was good to get a win of this magnitude and play a little bit like we’re capable of playing.”

It took some time to find and actually live up to their identity, but it could be worth the wait if the Kings can maintain and build on Wednesday’s showing.

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