Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox: 'I feel like I'm the best' point guard in draft

De’Aaron Fox sat in a room with Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and coach Luke Walton back in May and came to the realization that he has somewhat of a split personality.

“I’ve always been humble (off the court) but on the court, it’s an entirely different person,” Fox, a projected top-five pick next week, said at the NBA draft combine, noting that he takes on a “killer instinct” on the hardwood. “Magic was saying that’s how he is, (too).”

Fox’s killer instinct was on full display — with Johnson in attendance — when his Kentucky Wildcats faced off against the UCLA Bruins in March’s NCAA tournament Sweet 16, where Fox completely outshined UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball, a favorite to land with the Lakers at the No. 2 selection. Fox had 39 points on 13-for-20 shooting from the floor — getting to the rim at will, while Ball had 10 points and eight assists on 4-for-10 shooting.

“I live for the big moment,” said Fox, who had a workout with the Lakers this week. “It didn’t matter that it was (Lonzo) or one of the other top picks. I’m competitive and I came out hot.”

Part of that competitiveness shows most on the defensive end, where the lengthy guard from Houston believes he’s most NBA-ready.

“I think defensively I probably separate myself,” Fox said. “If a guard against me had a big game I probably had a big game, too. I just feel like (other guards in the draft aren’t) taking as much pride on defense.”

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Still, Fox has been the third most talked about point guard behind likely No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz of Washington and Ball, whose father, LaVar, continues to spew headlines with comments about Lonzo going to the Lakers.

In spite of his humble, off-the-court personality, Fox assuredly didn’t mince words in offering his assessment of floor generals in the draft.

“I feel like I’m the best,” said Fox, adding that much like his Sweet 16 performance, the truth will show up through competitiveness on the court — not mock draft boards. “If (Fultz and Ball are) drafted above me I’d be fine with it, I’d be cool with it. You still have to play basketball at the end of the day.”

The differences between Fox and Ball’s draft preparation are striking. Ball didn’t attend the NBA draft combine or draft lottery, whereas Fox attended both. Ball opted to create his own $495 shoes, the ZO2s, behind his family’s Big Baller Brand instead of signing with a major apparel company; his father has since said a co-branded deal would cost top brands billions for an agreement. Fox, meanwhile, signed a multi-year shoe deal with the top brand on the market, Nike.

And while the Lakers have expressed strong interest in Ball, who is only expected to meet with the Lakers and possibly the Philadelphia 76ers, there’s also been plenty of interest from the Lakers in Fox, who has worked out or met with most of the teams with top-10 picks.

While there’s a shot the Lakers roll the dice on Fox ahead of Ball, Fox’s best-case-scenario destination might be with the 76ers, who own the No. 3 pick and are remodeling their backcourt. At point guard, Fox said he feels “that’s the missing piece they need” and he could bring that to Philadelphia, while also excelling off the ball to mesh well with point forward Ben Simmons, last summer’s No. 1 pick.

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While Fox knows that his unique speed and ability to finish over bigger defenders are his strong suits, he’s spent a lot of time focusing on his weaknesses heading into the draft. Kentucky coach John Calipari noted that Fox didn’t necessarily excel at shooting the ball in college — making 25% of buckets beyond the arc — and that’s an area where Fox has worked on most.

“I’m comfortable moving off the ball, but I have to show people I can do it,” Fox said. “No one really thinks I can do it because I struggled shooting in college. I started shooting it well at the end of the year.”

Fox also knows he needs to improve his free throw shooting, an area where his mother, Lorraine Harris-Fox, gets on him most. She holds the school record at Arkansas-Little Rock for highest free-throw percentage at 93%. Fox shot 74% at Kentucky.

Calipari, who has the Wildcats running an NBA-esque offense and has molded some of the NBA’s best point guards over the years, saw a correlation to one of his former players, John Wall. Yet Calipari believes Fox’s game has yet to fully blossom.

“I asked John Wall…I said, ‘John, is he as fast as you?’ He said, ‘nah.’ But (De’Aaron) is fast,” Calipari said. “This kid didn’t use (speed) as a weapon. …When he did, it was like, ‘oh my god.’ He doesn’t view it as a weapon yet. When he views it as a weapon, it’s a wrap.”

Fox sees the similarities in his game to Wall’s, too.  

“That’s a great comparison,” Fox said. “I see the speed and the way (Wall) creates for his teammates. …I feel like if I can get to that level of playmaking, I’ll be great.”

Calipari emphasized the passion of his former player, who was seen balling in tears following Kentucky’s season-ending loss to eventual national champion North Carolina. He also complimented Fox with a Magic Johnson-esque personality comparison.

“He serves everybody and everybody loves being around him,” Calipari said.

Said Fox of potentially working with Johnson, who told the budding 19-year old he put on a show against UCLA in March: “I’d love to work with a great point guard and great person like Magic. When he was on the court he made everyone better and he lights up a room. That’s someone I feel would be great to be a mentor.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Scott Gleeson on Twitter @ScottMGleeson.