As De’Aaron Fox slowly and confidently strolled up the court, he dribbled once behind his back, once between his legs, took a hesitation dribble and rose up from behind the arc as a second Chicago Bulls player approached.

As Fox announced to a dejected Bulls crowd, it was the ultimate “I’m Nice” shot.

By any measure, it wasn’t the best possible shot with the game tied at 114. Fox, an average at best three-point shooter, could have easily gotten a better look in the midrange where he shoots 15 to 20 percent higher, or around the basket, where he is one of the most efficient finishers in basketball.

Instead, Fox pulled up from 26 feet with two defenders on him as the clock ticked down. If you have watched Fox this season, that basket wasn’t surprising.

While the counting stats aren’t drastically different than seasons past, Fox is a different guy this year. He’s leveled up as a player, especially in the clutch.

Like clockwork, in close games, Fox has a rare ability get whatever shot he wants, when he wants it. With his improved three-pointer, Fox is now effectively a three-level scorer.

There are no correct answers for the opposing team, especially during clutch time.

Want to sag off and make Fox shoot a jumper? Well, he’s doing that better this year than any in his career. Want to take that away? Well, he’s going to use his first class speed to get to the rim. Want to send a double team? Fox might just beat that too.

There have been about 10 games this season where Fox’s end-of-game brilliance has pushed the Kings to victory.

There was the halfcourt buzzer beater over the Orlando Magic or the layup to take the lead over the Utah Jazz, or the shot over the Bulls. These are just the shots he’s made with a few seconds left in the game. Generally, when the game has on the line, Fox has been brilliant.

As of Wednesday, Fox has scored 185 points in clutch time this season, 26 more than the next closest player. With just 10 games left in the season, Fox should be a shoe-in for the inaugural Jerry West Clutch Player of The Year Award.

According to NBA.com, clutch time is defined as when the game is within five points, with less than five minutes to go. In this time period, Fox has the highest usage rating in the league at 43.1 percent.

There are two versions of the Kings; the passing, screening, cutting Kings of the first 43 minutes, and the “Let Fox Cook” Kings of the last five minutes. Both versions have been necessary to their success this season.

While Fox seems to be saving his fastball for clutch time, he’s been a better, wiser player overall this season. Everyone in the NBA knows about Fox’s world class speed, but far too often early in his career he would throw on full turbo mode by default. Now, Fox is crafty with his use of euro steps,

Prior to this season, I wrote about how Fox was entering the most important season of his career and how his success would be crucial to the Kings’ playoff push. He has exceeded expectations and then some.

After barely eeking into the All-Star game as an injury reserve, Fox has been tremendous since the All-Star break and now has a legitimate shot to make an All-NBA team.

While Fox seems to be saving his fastball for clutch time, he’s been a better, wiser player overall this season. Everyone in the NBA knows about Fox’s world class speed, but earlier in his his career he would throw on full turbo mode by default. Now, Fox is crafty with his use of euro steps, floaters, hesitations and step backs.

Fox is a nearly complete offensive player.

In the playoffs, the Kings will probably need this supernova version of Fox on a nightly basis. Playoff games often come down to which team’s star can hit more shots at the end of games and luckily for the Kings their star can go shot for shot with anyone in the NBA.