Stay Patient
The Kings’ timeline to contention will rely on Fox developing alongside a cast of promising youngsters. While his shooting numbers were far from pretty, the former Wildcat did make noticeable improvements to his outside shooting percentages.
Fox shot 30.7 percent from distance as a rookie and was a 24.6 percent three-point shooter in his only year at Kentucky. A similar jump in his second-year would put him right in line with his point guard peers.
The development of the Kings’ supporting cast is crucial for Fox’s future. Reliable floor spacers and finishers in the paint will help raise Fox’s assists numbers. He averaged 4.4 assists per game but was credited with an 8.6 potential assist average as a rookie. Pushing the pace and executing the pick-and-roll will raise the floor for Fox and his running mates.
Perhaps the biggest cause for concern is coach Joerger’s preference to operate his offense out of the half court. The former Grizzlies coach put himself on the map by grinding down opponents in the early part of this decade. Adjusting to personnel and trends isn’t completely out of the realm of possibility for a coach of his experience.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.
