Kobe Bryant's name isn't invoked lightly in NBA circles, so when De'Aaron Fox compared Kings guard Davion Mitchell's work ethic to that of the late Los Angeles Lakers legend on Monday, it was notable.
"We all know Davion is probably the hardest worker that we have all probably seen outside of maybe Kobe," Fox said of Mitchell during his exit interview.
Fox, who missed the final 10 games of the regular season with a hand injury, was seen giving Mitchell advice during timeouts and when the rookie was on the bench. The star guard knows he, Mitchell and Domantas Sabonis are at the core of the Kings' future and wanted to give Mitchell some "cheat codes" as they look ahead to next season.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"He's a listener," Fox said of Mitchell. "Once teams would start blitzing him and throwing different coverages at him and just different stuff that I've seen in my years playing, I would just tell him how I would attack it. Obviously, we are very different players, but just trying to give him that type of insight and little cheat codes to get around some of the stuff you see when teams throw junk defenses at you.
"That's all I was trying to do. We all saw it, he finished the season as strong as anybody in the league," Fox continued. "Definitely, any guard in the league. Just trying to help him with that and hit the ground running next year. I feel like I finished the year strong and he finished the year strong. So, we just want to hit the ground running next year."
RELATED: Kings' chances of top pick after earning No. 7 lottery slot
NBA
Over his final 15 games, Mitchell averaged 17.6 points and 7.6 assists per game while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from 3-point range.
As the Kings look to the future, Fox is confident about his long-term fit next to Mitchell in Sacramento's backcourt.
"With Davion, I think he can fit in a variety of schemes and lineups," Fox said Monday. "One, he can guard anybody. We saw him get better with his shot and his playmaking. That's pretty much it. He's guarding whoever you ask him to guard and on the offensive end, he has gotten better at shooting and playmaking.
"With his struggles, he also had great games. That's what you see in a rookie. But with his work ethic, he'll probably come back a better and different player."
Mitchell showed impressive improvement down the stretch and the Kings have big expectations for him, Fox and Sabonis next season.