The Smoking Cuban
FanSided

NBA Draft Unpopular Opinion: De’Aaron Fox Should Go Number 1

By Kohl Rast

Mar 4, 2017; College Station, TX, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard De'Aaron Fox (0) smiles during warm ups before a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; College Station, TX, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard De'Aaron Fox (0) smiles during warm ups before a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Everyone knows the Dallas Mavericks want to draft a point guard and De’Aaron Fox is one of the top guys in the draft. He obviously won’t be there at number 9 but, personally, I don’t believe he should even be there at number 2.

People have been talking about the NBA Draft for ages and for good reason. With one of the deepest and most talented draft classes the league has seen in some time, teams are excited to see who they are going to get with their pick. Trade rumors and mock drafts continue to come out daily and yet there is not a lot of certainty with any player or any team.

That is the case for the most part, but since the draft excitement started, it has almost always been about Markelle Fultz being the best and the undoubted number 1 pick. Past that, there has been some movement in the top 5 and especially in the top 10 in each mock draft.

However, I have the very unpopular opinion that Markelle Fultz should not be the undisputed best player in the draft. Although he is very good at what he does and should definitely be in the conversation, I do not believe that Fultz needs to be the end-all be-all first overall pick in the draft next week.

And the reason for that is De’Aaron Fox.

You probably would have thought I was talking about Lonzo Ball had you not seen the title to this post, but I really believe that De’Aaron Fox should be getting more consideration as the best player in the draft. From his true point guard nature to his impressive skill set, Fox needs to be in the conversation more than he is.

The physical tools of Fox are plentiful and impressive, but what really sets him apart is his maturity. There have been a number of interviews that De’Aaron Fox has given with sportscasters, radio hosts, and others and all of them have been very mature, strong interviews. Fox shows that he is ready to take on the NBA as a point guard immediately thanks to his energy, his ability, and his maturity.

None of us really know how these guys are going to be doing in the NBA just yet. There are players who excel way past their ability every year and their are busts each draft. It’s the nature of the beast. But, if I were the one making the first overall selection, I would think long and hard about drafting De’Aaron Fox.