So far, this has been an underwhelming season for the Sacramento Kings. As of writing this, they are 11-13 and ranked 12th in the Western Conference.
It has been a great season for De'Aaron Fox, though. Not only did his first signature shoe with the Curry Brand come out, but he's also balling out on the court.
On the season, Fox is averaging 26.6 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 5.0 RPG on 58.3% true shooting. This sounds good, right? Well, it sounds even better when you consider the rarified air it puts him in.
According to the good folks at Stathead, Fox is one of four players to average at least 26 PPG, 5 APG, and 5 RPG on at least 58% true shooting while also playing at least 20 games. The other three are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jayson Tatum.
Not only are those three of the biggest names in the league right now, but all three of them are serious contenders for the MVP Award this season. According to Basketball Reference's MVP Award Tracker, Gilgeous-Alexander has the second-highest odds, Tatum has the third-highest odds, and Antetounkmpo has the fourth-highest odds.
Fox is not even listed in the top 10 in MVP odds based on this tool. That makes sense, considering his team's lack of success and the fact that there is more that goes into impacting a basketball game than raw statistics like points, rebounds, and assists.
Still, what this does say is that Fox, so long as he maintains his current play, should be an All-Star this season. Last season, despite averaging 26.6 PPG/5.6 APG/4.6 RPG on 56.7% true shooting, Fox was left off the Western Conference All-Star roster.
Yes, the West is a much more competitive conference with many more talented players. But given the fact that Kawhi Leonard has yet to play a game this year and that Paul George and Karl Anthony-Towns now play for Eastern Conference teams, there should be room for Fox this go around.
Besides, when you are putting up numbers that compare so closely to the three names that Fox is associated with, you deserve the nomination. If Fox does get selected to an All-Star team, it will be the second time in his career (the first time was in 2022-23).