Kingston Flemings Leans on De’Aaron Fox Inspiration ahead of 2026 NBA Draft

Kingston Flemings is one of the top prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-4 point guard has blazing speed and quickness when driving to the rim with a solid mid-range shot to boot. 

He is not only considered one of the top guards in the draft, but he is expected to be a top 10 draft pick, with several teams in that range having a need for a franchise point guard.

Flemings is currently getting ready to hear his name called when the draft takes place on June 23, going through the pre-draft process and the combine up until this point.

"It's been great. I've been doing it down here in San Antonio, back where I'm from, my family, all my friends, with my trainers from high school and middle school," said Flemings in a one-on-one interview on behalf of USAA. 

"It's been great, I've had a few workouts, five workouts here, and I'm excited for the draft, you know. Just continue to work every day and get better."

Friendship With Spurs' De'Aaron Fox

Flemings is a close friend of San Antonio Spurs point guard De'Aaron Fox, who recently led the team to the NBA Finals. 

Flemings is from the San Antonio area and has drawn comparisons to Fox due to their quick first step and burst to the rim.

When asked what the best advice he's received from Fox, Flemings said it's a matter of "staying consistent."

"I think it's just staying consistent," said Flemings. 

"Continue to work. People online, they're going to talk away, but they don't know what you go through. They don't know the work that you put in. So really, just stay true to yourself and continue to do that. At the end of the day, we're all humans and just going out there, working and doing what we love."

Flemings acknowledges that his agent has told me that he should expect to be selected anywhere from the fourth pick to the 10th pick. 

There are several teams, such as the Brooklyn Nets at No. 6 and the Milwaukee Bucks at No. 10, that need a franchise point guard.

The 19-year-old guard said that he didn't just look up to one player; he looked up to multiple guards while growing up.

"I looked up to a lot of guards," said Flemings. 

"D-Rose (Derrick Rose), D'Aaron (Fox), Tyrese Maxey, Cason Wallace, I think all these players are really good. A lot of them are Texas guys, really like using their speed, not overly big guards, but use their speed to get downhill, create for their teammates, and they're just all really good players."

His Job On The Court Is To Find Easy Shots For Teammates

When talking to Flemings, it becomes very clear how mature he is, especially for someone who is still a teenager and has spent only one year in college with the Houston Cougars. 

When asked what his best trait is, he doesn't necessarily name an individual trait. He instead names a trait that gets his teammates involved.

"Best trait, I think, finding teammates and reading the game," said Flemings. 

"I think that's for sure. The way I see the court, the way I get downhill and can create passing angles and everything like that. That's definitely the best thing I do."

He said the first thing he's thinking of on the court is getting his teammates involved and making them better players.

"When I'm on the floor, I think my job as a point guard is to make everyone else's life easy. Draw on two people to make it easier for you on a closeout or a catch and shoot, just anything I can do to do that. I think that's a job of a point guard, and that's really what I focus on when I'm in the game, whether that's scoring, making their life easier, or passing the ball, making their life easier. So anyway, I can do that."

Flemings, who weighed in at 183 pounds at the NBA Combine, said one of the key things he's working on is beefing up his frame. 

He acknowledges getting to 200 pounds is a good starting point for his 6-foot-4 frame.

"I find my body getting stronger at the next level," Flemings added. 

"Everyone's stronger, everyone's bigger. These are all grown men, just continue to get stronger, so I can be effective on offense and defense. I can use my body and continue to use my shoulders to get down on offense, and then use my chest to continue to stand while on defense."