Knicks and Jax meet Kentucky guard Fox
Phil Jackson was playing the role of the quiet observer in his meeting with former Kentucky guard De’Aaron Fox at the NBA’s pre-draft combine last week.
Fox was in midtown Manhattan Thursday afternoon for an appearance at the Vanderbilt YMCA on 47th Street, and recounted his sitdown with Knicks officials as Clarence Gaines Jr., the team’s vice president of personnel, probed Fox for answers.
“I was like, ‘Man, is somebody else gonna ask me something?’” Fox said. “Phil kinda looked at you. When he did ask questions, he asked the questions he needed to know.”
Fox, a 6-foot-4 point guard who averaged 16.7 points, 4.6 assists, and 4 rebounds per game, is projected to be a top-five pick. The Knicks own the No. 8 spot, but Fox remained flexible regarding a comeback to New York as a player. He is currently working out at a gym in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The draft is at Barclays Center on June 22, and four point guards are competing for teams’ attention.
“(The Knicks) were trying to get a feel for my personality, how I feel about them, how I would fit with some of the players — is pretty solid.
“We’re good at what we do,” Jackson, not exactly the beacon of humility, declared Tuesday.
But if the choice is system over talent, a mistake becomes less defensible. they have” Fox said. “It was really cool meeting Phil Jackson. He was one person I idolized as I was growing up.”
Fox was accompanied by Kentucky classmate Malik Monk, a shooting guard out of Arkansas, at the 47th Street YMCA event. Both are 19 years old and played one season under coach John Calipari in Lexington before declaring for the draft. Fox scored 39 points against UCLA and point guard Lonzo Ball in the Sweet 16. Monk put up 47 points versus North Carolina in December, and Kentucky reached the Elite 8 in the NCAA tournament. Both talked about leadership at the YMCA session as Kenny Smith hosted them.
Fox noted that there were no specific questions about the triangle offense in his Knicks meeting.
“I’ve never played in anything like that,” he said. “It would be a test of how quickly I could learn.”
Monk is working out in New York. He did not attend the combine, and said that he is open to workouts with teams that may select him in the draft. Monk, who is looking to add muscle to his 6-foot-4, 197-pound frame, is also projected to be a top-five pick.
“It’s cool to be going through this with a brother,” Fox said. “I can’t predict what will happen.”