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USA Basketball officials were stunned to learn that Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox had chosen to remove his name from consideration for the final 12-man roster only hours before the team’s flight took off for Australia on Saturday morning, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. Fox said he made the decision in hopes to narrow his focus on taking the Kings to the playoffs.
However, Fox had made a surging effort over the past two weeks — promoted to the full-fledged Team USA squad after starting as part of the Select Team and making quite the impression on several of his teammates. His blazing speed and the ability to finish under control were among the highlights of his play during a White vs. Blue scrimmage and a recent exhibition game against Spain on Friday, in which he scored two points in six minutes — the least of any active player.
While some were high on Fox and considered him even a potential starter, it became plenty evident that he was likely slated for a backup role under veteran Kemba Walker, who is the most accomplished in the roster.
The point guard position now looks thin once again, with Walker prospecting as a heavy-minutes starter and Derrick White as his immediate backup. White had gotten a second shy of eight minutes of floor time against Spain, a sign that Fox might not get as much run as many were expecting he would get.
