De’Aaron Fox is poised to have a big 2021 after signing a 4 year, $163M max extension this offseason. The point guard has showed consistent improvement each year and seems to be on the verge of taking the next step into NBA stardom. But will Fox have what it takes to be given an All Star nod?
The Kings have not had an All Star since DeMarcus Cousins back in the 2016-2017 season and Fox looks to be the player to break the 4 year drought. But with 12 players making the roster from each conference, Fox has tough competition in a talent-heavy West.
Looking at last year alone, there were 13 All Stars from the Western Conference due to Devin Booker’s replacement of an injured Damian Lillard. That means Fox has to outperform these 13 players while also expecting the possibility of other players stepping up their game into All Star conversation such as Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, DeMar Derozan, and Draymond Green.
I’m not sure if Fox would be selected to the All Star team on stats alone. Even if the fourth year point guard averages a realistic stat line of:
[table “41” not found /]This stat line might not be enough to vault him onto the All Star roster since the criteria to being named an All Star is half stat based and half dependent on how well the Kings are performing. All Star players are usually from playoff contending teams, and if Sacramento is not in contention, then it makes Fox’s case just that much harder.
We’ve seen this from past years where All Star worthy players are snubbed because of their team’s shoddy record. We even saw this occur last year with a list of snubs including Bradley Beal, Andre Drummond, Zach Lavine, and Devin Booker, before he replaced Damian Lillard.
Fox will definitely have the stat line to push himself into All Star conversation, however, relying on the Kings to be a competitive team in a tough Western Conference might be a hard variable to count on.
Though, if Fox is having an All Star year, it could be the factor that propels this team to the next level. The Kings have talent on the roster and having a proven star leading the team can possibly take Sacramento to new heights.
