The Sacramento Kings are looking to build off their best season in almost two decades.
Unfortunately for them, they’ll likely have to do it without their best player, as De’Aaron Fox is likely to miss some time.
According to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the All-Star avoided a “significant” injury, but he still sustained a “moderate” sprain of his right ankle during the win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kings All-Star De’Aaron Fox has avoided significant injury, but has sustained a moderate sprain of his right ankle and he is likely to miss some time, sources tell me and @sam_amick. Fox played through the sprain down stretch of 37 points and victory over Lakers on Sunday.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 30, 2023
Fox is fresh off signing with Under Armour to become the first athlete to sign with the Curry Brand.
He’s a rising star in the league, finally getting his first All-Star nod last season, all while also earning the league’s very first Clutch Player of the Year award.
The Kings are off to a 2-1 start to the season, currently sitting at the 7th spot in the Western Conference.
Fox is off to a strong start to the campaign, averaging 31.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 3.0 three-pointers per game on 48.6/37.5/81.0 shooting splits, being a way-too-early MVP candidate, so it’s obviously a big blow to have him in street clothes.
Now, Davion Mitchell is expected to pick up most of the slack in the meantime, and while he’s by no means the same caliber of scorer or playmaker as Fox, he will give the Kings a stronger defensive presence along the perimeter.
Domantas Sabonis is also likely to handle some playmaking duties, being one of the few big men who can actually put the ball on the floor and distribute to others.
NEXT: Kings GM Makes Big Claim About Team’s Chances This Season
