'Every single game matters,' says De'Aaron Fox ahead of NBA India Games 2019
A team brimming with young talent, the Sacramento Kings did surprise a few people when they finished as high as 9th in the Western Conference standings last season, ahead of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Kings will be raring to go again this time around and given the depth of talent at their disposal, Sactown is definitely a team to watch out for in the 2019-20 season. They kickstart their preparations with the NBA India Games 2019 later today and will play two of their four preseason games in Mumbai, India against the Indiana Pacers at the NSCI Dome.
On the eve of the games, Kings' point guard De'Aaron Fox was available to talk and answer a few questions. Right off the bat, Fox noted that for the team to get better, he himself needs to get better:
"I feel like every time I go to the gym, I'm trying to get better, I wanna get better each and every day. I think from my first year to my second year, just my understanding of the game got a lot better. To be one of the top guards in the league you've gotta continue to get better every day."
While several members of the roster remain the same, the Sacramento Kings have new coaches coming into the fray, headlined by head coach Luke Walton who was with the Lakers last season. Fox delved into how that affects the team:
"It's a little bit different obviously. We've got a couple of guys that have been with the team for a few years but you know it's kinda all new. We have a whole new coach, lot of new players. Coaches change every year. We can't be a team that's complaining because we got a new coach. So guys just have to buy into it, try to learn as quickly as possible and man that's what the preseason's for. We come out here trying to grow as a team, trying to get better and hopefully ready for the regular season."
De'Aaron Fox then went ahead and explained what his team is trying to work on during the two preseason games in India.
"I don't think we're approaching it any differently than a normal game. It's still a game of basketball. We're trying to execute, we're trying to get better defensively, we're trying to boost our chemistry. We're kinda just doing it in a different country."
The wild West got even wilder this season. While the Golden State Warriors did lose key players, Kings' Pacific Division rivals Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers both really strengthened up this offseason. Fox is aware of the same and feels that the players just need to be ready to put it all on the line in every single game.
"You have to come out ready to play every game. One or two games can be the difference in a couple of seeds in the West. Just us being ready to come out in every single game and being ready to play is a big deal. You can't get out for some games and not be ready to play the next day. Every single game matters, you can't take any nights off."