Kings guard De'Aaron Fox faces stiff competition to be named an All-Star Reserve for the very first time.
Even if he doesn't get that acknowledgment, he'll still be participating at All-Star Weekend in Charlotte.
According to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, Fox is expected to participate in the All-Star Skills Challenge:
Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox plans to participate in the Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 25, 2019
Fox is in the midst of a breakout season in which he's averaging 17.4 points and 7.3 assists per game for the surprising Kings, who look to improve to 25-24 when their road trip continues in Memphis on Friday.
The Skills Challenge features eight competitors racing through a timed course that tests their ball-handling, passing and shooting skills. Mavericks rookie phenom Luka Doncic is also participating, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
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Dallas Mavericks rookie star Luka Doncic plans to participate in the Skills Competition at All-Star weekend in Charlotte, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @WatchStadium.— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 25, 2019
Given that Fox shoots a high percentage, is a proficient passer and perhaps the fastest player in the entire league, one would imagine he'll be among the betting favorites for that particular event.
He'll likely have some of his Sacramento teammates there to cheer him on, as well.
A source close to the Kings tells NBC Sports California's James Ham that Buddy Hield is likely to get an invitation to the 3-Point Contest, and that Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Marvin Bagley III are all virtual shoe-ins for the Rising Stars Challenge, which features the top rookie and sophomore players in the NBA.
All-Star acknowledgements tend to coincide with on-court success, and the Kings -- both individually and as a team -- certainly deserve some recognition for the leaps they've made so far this season.
