Revisiting 2018 NBA 25-under-25

Revisiting The Step Back’s 2018 NBA 25-under-25 list

DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 16: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings and Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks smile during a game on December 16, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Miss: De’Aaron Fox outside the top 35

There’s a real argument that De’Aaron Fox isn’t only one of the top 10 players under 25, but that he’s one of the 10 most valuable assets in the entire league.

Seriously…outside of Giannis, AD, Embiid, Harden, Curry, KD, Doncic, Towns and Jokic, who are you taking ahead of the former Wildcat to build your team around for the next five to ten years? You could make arguments for a few guys, but at 21 years old, Fox’s shelf life will far outlast those of MVP candidates Kawhi Leonard (27), Damian Lillard (28) and Paul George (28). He’s probably a better shooter right now than Ben Simmons will ever be. He also doesn’t have the defensive concerns of Trae Young or Devin Booker, the injury issues of Kyrie Irving or Victor Oladipo, and plays a more valuable position than Bradley Beal or Klay Thompson.

The best argument is probably for his draft classmate Donovan Mitchell, who finished sixth in our rankings after a near Rookie of the Year campaign. Fox? He ended up 49th, two spots below the immortal duo of Jabari Parker and Markelle Fultz.

So yeah, the fifth overall pick from the 2017 Draft made us all look like a bunch of clowns. He’s also getting better as the season goes on. Before the All-Star game, the Kings outscored opponents by 1.4 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court and were outscored by 5.7 points when he was off. Since the break, that discrepancy has ballooned to 3.5 on-court, negative 13.5 off-court. He has become indispensable.

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