As we all know, the Kings have not made the playoffs for 16 consecutive years. The last time this team appeared in the playoffs, Kobe was still wearing No. 8, James was still in the third grade, and Durant had just graduated from high school. Many young players born in the 2000s

all know that the Kings have not entered the playoffs for 16 consecutive years.

When this team last appeared in the playoffs, Kobe was still wearing No. 8, James was still in the third grade, Durant had just graduated from high school, , and many young players born in the 2000s in the current league may not even have It has been 16 years since I really came into contact with basketball. This is also the longest consecutive record of a team not making the playoffs in the history of NBA.

During this period, the Kings changed many cores, from the combination of Kevin Martin and Artest to the rookie and peak Evans, then to DeMarcus Cousins, and after selecting Fox with the fifth pick in 2017, the burden of "leading the Kings back to the playoffs" was handed over to Fox.

However, judging from the current situation, it is difficult to say that Fox has met expectations.

Five years into the league, Fox has indeed grown from a rookie to the core of the team, and has averaged 20+ for three consecutive seasons, but he has never been selected to the All-Star or the best team.

For comparison, the No. 13 pick of the same session, Mitchell, has been selected to the All-Star three times; the No. 14 pick is also Fox's college teammate Adebayor is also an All-Star, and has played in two Eastern Conference Finals and one Finals; the third overall pick Tatum was selected for the first team last season, and also led the team to the finals; even Jarrett A at the end of the first round Lundu is already a part of the All-Star team.

In terms of leading the team, let alone the first two seasons when Fox has not yet grown. In the past three years, the Kings' records were only 31 wins and 41 losses, 31 wins and 41 losses, and 30 wins and 52 losses. The gap between them and the playoffs is not huge. One and a half stars.

Among them, last season, after the Kings fired Walton, there were voices saying that the team was preparing to rebuild again, and Fox was also involved in trade rumors. However, we all know the final result, The Kings did not trade Fox. , but sent Halliburton away . This deal has still made the Kings management ridiculed by fans.

As for Fox, he has also been in the spotlight because of the Haliburton deal, but let's be honest, Fox is not that bad, just not that good.

Take last season as an example, Fox played a total of 59 games for the Kings, averaging 35.3 minutes per game, scoring 23.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.2 steals, shooting 47.3% from the field and 29.7% from the three-point range. , the true hit rate 54.9%.

For comparison, in the previous 2020-21 season, the data submitted by Fox was 25.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and the true shooting percentage 56.5%. In other words, not only did there not be any improvement last season, but there was also Regressed.

The reason for this situation is partly because of his poor condition, and partly because of the growth of Haliburton, and Fox’s ball rights have also been reduced. The fact is that Fox’s performance before and after the Haliburton trade It can be said that it is completely different.

Before the Haliburton trade, Fox played 44 games, averaging 21.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, shooting 45.9% from the field, 26.4% from three-point range, and 53.4% ​​from the field.

But after the Haliburton trade, Fox scored 20+ points in all 15 games, averaging 28.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, shooting 50.3% from the field and 36.0% from the three-point range. True The hit rate also increased to 58.4%.

Among them, facing the Mavericks , Fox made 18 of 31 in the game and scored a career-high 44 points. A week later, against the Jazz, Fox made another effort. made 15 of 32 in the game and scored 41 points. 11 assists , these were probably Fox's best two games last season.

However, the data has improved, but the Kings' record has not improved, and there has even been a bigger decline - before the Haliburton trade, when Fox played, the Kings were 17 wins and 27 losses. After the Haliburton trade, The Kings only won 5 of the 15 games Fox played.

Of course, losing is not Fox’s fault alone. In other words, the Kings management may have to shoulder a bigger blame in this regard - In the past four years alone, the Kings have changed three coaches. They will also have another coach next season. With the fourth coach Mike Brown ushering in, Fox has to adapt to the new system again.

However, if he wants to be selected as an All-Star and be recognized, Fox must take on more responsibilities as a core player. At least next season, people's expectations for him should be that must not only produce the same data as last season, but also You must learn to lead a team to win..

Speaking of which, next season is indeed a good opportunity for Fox to lead the Kings to the playoffs. He has All-Star insider Sabonis beside him, and the Kings used the fourth pick in the draft to pick the strongest player. Li Keegan Murray signed his college friend Monk in the offseason and traded Huerter . After all, he should win more than in previous years, right?

Next season will be Fox’s sixth year in the league. Over the past many years, when people discuss him, they will only remember “the fastest player in the league” . I hope he can win another All-Star title next season. It would be even better if we could lead the Kings to end their embarrassing record of not making the playoffs for 16 consecutive years.