De'Aaron Fox's Brutally Honest Statement After Kings-Lakers

Sacramento Kings star De'Aaron Fox kept it real following Saturday's loss to the LA Lakers.

Dec 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) shoots against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 132-122 on Saturday night, marking their sixth consecutive loss to move to 13-19 on the season.

Saturday's matchup in LA was Sacramento's first game after head coach Mike Brown got fired, as interim Doug Christie stepped into his place. Despite having a new leader on the bench, the Kings had the same exact problems they have had all season, as fans are worried about the team's future.

Firing Mike Brown seemed like a panic move from the organization, and Saturday's crushing loss was just the icing on the cake. The Kings' problems go deeper than the coaching staff, as the roster has been a serious letdown.

The Kings have a talented roster built around De'Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis, but either their supporting cast is underperforming or they are just simply not good enough.

Following Saturday's loss, Fox voiced his frustrations with the media, addressing their disappointing play.

“Obviously, the conference continues to get better,” Fox said. “We have to find a way to get better. Whether that’s players that aren’t in this locker room or the players in this locker room, we have to be able to buckle down and get better. So, at the end of the day, that pretty much is what it comes down to. I don’t think we’re much worse last year than we were the year before. But the conference is continuing to grow, so we have to grow with [it].”

🆕 @TheAthletic (see thread)

Sacramento Kings still have a + point differential on season. But they have changed coaches, roster seems flawed, stars know things need to turn around, and they just reached rock bottom on defense.

Doug Christie has his work cut out for him. pic.twitter.com/kDyPkRJSvJ

— Law Murray ⚛️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) December 29, 2024

Fox had 29 points in Saturday's loss and is averaging 27.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game through their six-game losing streak. Playing without Domantas Sabonis the past two losses have certainly hurt, but the Kings definitely need to step up.

Fox's comment about whether or not the players he is talking about are in the locker room or not is certainly interesting, especially with all of the speculation around an expected trade ahead of February's trade deadline.

Sacramento's next game is a huge test against a talented Dallas Mavericks squad on Monday, and one they really cannot afford to lose.

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