De'Aaron Fox Reportedly Rising Past Lonzo Ball on 2017 NBA Draft Boards

Kentucky point guard De'Aaron Fox is climbing up draft boards and may even be surpassing Lonzo Ball, according to ESPN Insider Chad Ford.

"There also seems to be a growing movement among teams to rank Kentucky's Fox ahead of Ball," Ford wrote. "No one helped himself more in March than Fox did. He has a chance to go as high as No. 2 or No. 3 in this draft."

Ford added: "There also seems to be some growing appreciation for North Carolina State's Dennis Smith. It's possible that Markelle Fultz, Ball, Fox and Smith could be the first four players taken in the draft. That's how strong the point guard group is this year."

It's important to note that before the draft, NBA teams often have ulterior motives for leaking their opinions on players. Perhaps a team wants to drum up the value of a top-four pick knowing that teams behind it will be seeking a point guard. Maybe the team is hoping to drum up buzz around Fox in the hope that Ball falls to it somewhere in the top five. 

It's also possible, of course, that some teams simply prefer Fox. The Kentucky guard outplayed Ball in their two meetings this season, stifling him defensively and proving too athletic for Ball to shut down on the other end. In those games, Fox averaged 29.5 points, 6.5 assists and 1.5 turnovers, including a 39-point outburst in the Wildcats' Sweet 16 win over the Bruins.

Ball, on the other hand, averaged 12 points, 7.5 assists and five turnovers in the two matchups. 

They are completely different players and stylistically will fit better on certain teams and in particular schemes. While Ball is an elite passer and excellent perimeter shooter, there are questions about his defense and ability to create his own shot. Fox is a stifling defender who uses his speed and athleticism to attack the basket, meanwhile, though he was a mediocre shooter in college and is a decent, but not great, facilitator. 

Still, Ball has routinely been considered a top-three talent, while Fox generally finds himself on the edge of the top five. B/R's Jonathan Wasserman has Ball No. 3 on his big board and Fox at No. 6, while Ford has Ball at No. 2 and Fox at No. 5. 

But it only takes one team at the NBA draft to see things differently, and the latest rumblings suggest a few just might.