Editor's note: The 2016-2017 college basketball season will be the "Year of the Freshmen," featuring what could be the best class we've ever seen. Over the next two weeks, we will get familiar with the best of the best, examining who they are and where each of the top 10 prospects in the 2016 ESPN 100 came from.
Read more: No. 10 Duke's Frank Jackson
| No. 9 Kentucky's Malik Monk
No. 8 Michigan State's Miles Bridges | No. 7 Washington's Markelle Fultz
No. 6 Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox | No. 5 Kentucky's Bam Adebayo
No. 4 UCLA's Lonzo Ball | No. 3 Duke's Jayson Tatum
No. 2 Kansas' Josh Jackson | No. 1 Duke's Harry Giles
Kentucky coach John Calipari has had success with an elite point guard seemingly every season dating back to his days at Memphis. And De'Aaron Fox is next up. A Texas native, Fox was considered one of the best players at his position for most of his high school career, and when Calipari prioritized him in the summer before his senior season, everyone knew he was Kentucky-bound. He's likely to start immediately in the backcourt for the Wildcats.
Speed, speed, speed
Fox's end-to-end speed was eye-opening at times in high school. Fox would corral a rebound or get an outlet pass and simply run by the other team for an easy layup at the other end. While the competition will be stiffer at Kentucky, there still won't be many who can keep up, step for step, with Fox.
"Any team that [presses him], he'll run right past you," one scout said. "If they get his speed into the game, he's going to be exceptional. He's special in the open court."
Because of his quickness, Fox has drawn John Wall comparisons since before he committed to Kentucky.
"Speed translates," one coach said. "Kentucky tries to get out [on the fast break]. Fox is great coast-to-coast. He's a left-hand-dominant kid, but that doesn't matter if you're really elite going in that one direction."
Sharing the ball
Fox was a ball-dominant point guard at the high school level, bringing the ball up the court, initiating offense for himself or his teammates; he had the ball in his hands nearly every possession. At Kentucky, role allocation is a question on the perimeter. Isaiah Briscoe returns for his sophomore season, and he's a point guard. Malik Monk will play off the ball, but he also likes to have the ball to make plays.
How Fox plays without the ball will be a huge key in his freshman season.
"When he doesn't have the ball in his hands, good defensive teams will play off of him," one scout said. "He has to adjust. He's a guy who is so fast, you have to get defenses chasing him. He has to find ways, when he doesn't have the ball, to get going downhill. He's going to have to show he can change speeds off pin-downs and ball-screens."
At the same time, not bringing the ball up on every possession could help him show his ability in the open court.
"We know how fast he is with the ball. Now imagine him with a head of steam -- he can catch it, and it's one or two dribbles to the rim," one coach said. "I think it may help him."
Making plays in the half-court
Fox will have his share of highlight-reel plays during the course of the season, especially in the nonconference portion of the schedule. But when the competition stiffens during SEC play, or during the big-time games out of conference, opportunities in transition might not consistently be available.
"People are going to try and slow him down," one coach said. "He's going to be on the court with [Briscoe], who can't shoot. Monk can make shots. But it's going to be a team that sees a lot of zone, a lot of changing defenses. They have to find guys who step in and make shots. That affects De'Aaron, because he's a downhill guy. If a downhill guy doesn't get space via shooters on the court, he could struggle. ... It's so hard for any offense if you don't have space. Defenses are going to have two feet in the paint.
"It makes their transition game that much more important. They're better off if they're playing from ahead. Teams will make them grind out games, play against zone."
Fox made just below 30 percent of his attempts from 3-point range during the spring and summer of his final AAU season and was far more comfortable going off the dribble to the rim.
"If you make him beat you with his mind, take his speed out of the game, now he has to use his head to beat you," one high-major coach said. "You see what it did to Briscoe. The one thing with Fox compared to some other guys, he has a better motor. But it's going to be an adjustment."