As yet another disappointing Kings campaign neared an end last April, the front office strategized about De'Aaron Fox's development in the months ahead. It was time to talk to him about his weight. sam_amick on why Fox's speedier self was in order:
, his Warriors tenure and so many stops in between — defense has been at the forefront of his teachings.
“If you’re gonna play for Mike, you at least have to try ,” Curry said. “One through five when you’re out there, he always had that standard. It’s predicated on effort, on IQ and trying to be in the right place at the right time, and being coachable. That was one thing I think he loved about me was that no matter how much success we had, he could always challenge me and talk to me about defense.
The team’s director of analytics, Pabail Sidhu, had shared a defensive formula that Brown believed reflected the reality of each player’s impact on that end . There were six defensive categories in all that were assessed, with a focus on specific areas like off-ball screens, isolation plays, pick-and-roll defense and the like. If the numbers said that you had a good month, praise and even prizes came your way.
There will be significant changes on that front, too. After all these years in which Fox has been primarily a pick-and-roll or isolation scorer, and considering Sabonis’ skills as a passing big man, he’s looking to play off the ball more than ever.