SACRAMENTO – Through 11 games over 21 days of the 2024-25 NBA season, the Kings’ identity grew more and more difficult to decipher.
During their 12th one Wednesday night, a 127-104 win over the Phoenix Suns, they 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’s 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 is contributing to the down numbers.
But Wednesday night was like the Fox we knew four or five years ago, showcasing the part of his game that’s made him such a special player since entering the league as a 19-year-old rookie. He utilized his unmatched speed to get to the paint and create for himself and others.
He didn’t attempt a single 3-point shot until there was 1:33 remaining in the first half. He had 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting in 18 first-half minutes, with two rebounds four assists and two steals at the time. His next and final 3-point attempt came in the fourth quarter, which was nothing but net from 25 feet.
Fox finished with a game-high 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, pretty much trying to touch the paint. And I think whenever we’re able to touch the paint and get open looks, I think we’re a better shooting team. So pretty much just put an emphasis on that.
“[Kings assistant coach] Luke [Loucks] talked to me about it, and I’m just trying to be able to execute that. Get teammates open looks, get to the free throw line, whatever it may be.”
In a league that glamorizes 3-point shooting and unimaginable logo shots, it’s easy for players to get lost in what’s wanted versus what’s needed for their team.
For Fox, Brown needs his star point guard to get back to the basics and play fundamental 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 postgame. “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’ll get downhill, and it’s up to us to make sure that that happens, and then it’s up to him to make sure he stays aggressive, getting into that paint where he is deadly.”
Despite his early struggles this season, Fox still has the green light to shoot the 3-ball whenever that’s the right basketball play — and he should. But when he’s in his bag by attacking the basket with speed and force, there are so many lethal options he can pursue in the moment: get to the rim, pull up and knock down the jump shot as the mid-range master he is, find Domantas Sabonis or whichever big man is cutting, or dish it out to a shooter waiting along the perimeter.
That is Sacramento Kings offense. That is their identity. And that is what was on full display Wednesday.
“Like I said before, I think it’s the way that we touch the paint,” Fox said on what worked for Sacramento’s offense in Wednesday’s win. “I think getting two feet into the paint, and then you spray. Sometimes, it might not be that person that takes a shot, but now the defense is in rotation, and it could be swing, swing, someone else touches the paint, swing, swing, shot. Whenever we’re playing, we’re not playing to get the assist. If that person has a shot, they take it. If they don’t, they move it on. And you keep the defense in constant rotation.
“And I think that’s when you start to get open looks. And I mean, obviously, everybody knows it’s much easier to stand there, catch the ball and shoot than it is to have to run off the screen or have to do it by yourself off the dribble. 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 much easier.”
The numbers back that up, too.
Sacramento shot a season-best 53.6 percent from 3-point land. Trey Lyles, who appears to be finding 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 off 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 tossed around by Brown probably thousands of times.
But with so much emphasis on defense, shooting numbers dropped on the other end of the floor for several players. One silver lining of the underwhelming season, in which the Kings missed the playoffs, was players such as Murray, whose role was limited to a catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter the season before as a rookie, blossomed into an incredible defender, opening the passageway to two-way stardom.
But silver linings and moral victories don’t suffice in the NBA — especially not in the stacked Western Conference.
Entering this year, it was time for the Kings to pick their identity and stick with it for 82 games. Of course, defense always will be important for any team’s success – especially one coached by Brown.
The Kings already have shown significant growth on that side of the ball in a small sample size this season, with players buying into Brown’s two-year-long 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’s grown to be a much better overall defender since his partnership with Brown.
While all that has been a reassuring sign — that is not and should not be their game. At least not until their size issue is addressed.
What they must 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 postgame. “We always talk about playing physical. Our guys did it. They did a heck of a job defensively, trying to be physical. We always talk about playing fast, 22 fast break points for the game. That was right up our alley. And then we talk about playing together.
“I thought this was one of our best games of doing what we know how to do, which is to touch the paint and spray it or just to move the ball ahead, especially versus teams that are in a heavy shift. So our ability to do those things tonight played right into what our identity is, and it was good to get a win of this magnitude, playing somewhat how we’re capable of playing.”
It took some time to find and actually live up to their identity, but it could be well worth the wait if the Kings can maintain and build upon Wednesday’s showing.