Timberwolves Draft Preview: De’Aaron Fox

The 2017 NBA Draft is full of point guard talent — and De’Aaron Fox of Kentucky is no exception — but would the Timberwolves be swayed enough to select yet another point guard in the lottery?

Filling in Tyler Ulis‘ spot at Kentucky is no easy task, but De’Aaron Fox was up for the challenge.

Fox was scorching all year for the Kentucky Wildcats, averaging 16.7 points per game while dishing out 4.6 assists. He has gotten high praise by getting compared to the next John Wall with his quick first step and great ball-handling.

If the Timberwolves are thinking about drafting Fox (or if he’s even still available at the seventh pick), there are upsides and downsides to it.

Strengths: 

• Athletic
• Good defender
• Finishes at the rim

Athletic:

There were multiple times that Fox would use his athleticism to get to the rim and score against college defenders. At 6′-3″ and 180 pounds, he is not the biggest point guard, but he is quick. His athleticism and quickness make up for his lack of size.

In the semifinal tournament game against Lonzo Ball and UCLA and, Fox had 39 points on 13-for-20 shooting, four assists, and three rebounds. Meanwhile, he held Ball to a measly 10 points in a 86-75 win for Kentucky.

Most experts think he’s one of the most athletic players in the country, and according to Kentucky Guard Derrick Willis, he’s the quickest guard he’s played with. “He’s one of the more athletic kids I’ve played with — definitely the quickest I’ve played with, for sure,” Willis said. “His athleticism elevates his game so much.”

Good defender:

The Timberwolves certainly need more good defenders as they were one of the worst teams in the league on that end of the floor. Fox would help immensely, with being a good on ball defender, and he can also block quite a few shots for a point guard as well.

While the Wolves already have Kris Dunn and Ricky Rubio when it comes to good guard defenders, Fox would fit perfectly with that style of defender.

Finishes at the rim:

Unlike many Timberwolves guards in recent years, De’Aaron Fox has shown plenty of success when it comes to finishing at the rim for Kentucky. Yes, the NBA is a big step from college, but Fox has the whole package. He can use either hand, pull up for a floater, or go among the bigs down low and finish strong.

Weaknesses:

• Too small
• Not a great outside shooter
• Won’t fit the Wolves

Too small:

While being 6′-3″ isn’t a problem, Fox needs to add a little more weight to help with not being pushed around. He only weighs 180 pounds; if he wants to be able to body up guards like John Wall be is going to have to hit the weight room hard in the off-season before the start of his rookie campaign.

Not a great outside shooter:

Fox only shot 24 percent from the three-point line in his 2016-17 freshman year at Kentucky. If he could become a better outside shooter he would be a very dangerous player on the court at anytime.

His lack of outside shooting could also cause him to get picked behind Lonzo Ball and likely top pick Markelle Fultz.

Doesn’t fit the Timberwolves needs:

The Wolves have three quality point guards in Rubio, Dunn, and Tyus Jones, so adding a fourth would be obnoxious. Minnesota would have to get rid of Rubio or Dunn and that seems somewhat unlikely at this point.

Also, with a lack of three-point shooting, Fox isn’t ideal for the Wolves. In a perfect world, Tom Thibodeau would find a big man who can pair well with Towns or a guy who can light it up from deep on a nightly basis. In case you’ve forgotten, the Timberwolves were the worst three-point shooting team in the NBA last year.

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With Fox likely to be a top-ten pick, it will be interesting to see how he will fit and how he will fair in the NBA in his rookie season.