THE Sacramento Kings NBA players have turned heads this summer, most notably with the acquisition of six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan. The NBA media is split on whether or not the move benefited Sacramento, but acquiring a Hall of Fame-caliber forward will undoubtedly take them to the next level.
ESPN Stephen A. Smith spoke about which NBA teams he thinks will make the biggest strides this season, highlighting the Kings as a “sleeper” on his show Tuesday, while giving compliments to star point guard De’Aaron Fox:
“You know who I think is a potential player? The Sacramento Kings.” Smith continued: “That brother De’Aaron Fox… I was pushing him [Magic Johnson] to draft De’Aaron Fox and he drafted Lonzo Ball. Because I saw what De’Aaron Fox did to Lonzo in the NCAA tournament, and I knew what he was going to do… Even healthy, [Ball] I didn’t have the kind of game that De’Aaron Fox put him through… I could be wrong, but I’m thinking Sacramento.
Smith is referring to the Kentucky Wildcats’ victory over the UCLA Bruins in the 2017 Sweet 16, led by De’Aaron Fox’s game-high 39 points. Fox was paired with current Kings teammate Malik Monk, who scored 21 points to help the Cats.
In the loss, Ball scored 10 points and had eight assists, but the night-and-day performances of Fox and Ball didn’t change the minds of NBA scouts.
During the 2017 NBA draft, the The Los Angeles Lakers and president of basketball operations Magic Johnson selected Ball with the second overall pick, despite Steph A. Smith’s stated argument in favor of Fox.
It worked out perfectly for the Kings, who took Fox fifth overall before he became one of the league’s best point guards. The Lakers eventually sent Ball to the The New Orleans Pelicans in a deal that landed them generational big man Anthony Davis, while Lonzo hasn’t played an NBA game since January 2022.
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