Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox became a national star during last year’s Western Conference playoffs, and there were high hopes for him to continue his on-court development into one of the game’s best players in 2023-24. Things got off to a nice start before rolling his ankle in the third game of the season, and Fox has been out of the lineup ever since.
De’Aaron Fox Should Return For Kings This Week
🚨 De’Aaron Fox is expected to return to the Kings lineup as soon as tonight vs. the Cavs, or Wednesday vs. the Lakers, per @ShamsCharania & @sam_amick.
Fox has missed Sacramento’s last 5 games due to a sprained ankle. pic.twitter.com/c6WOtGipyG
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 13, 2023
It got ugly for the Kings there for a week. They lost three in a row without Fox in the rotation, including a back-to-back against the Rockets to kick off Houston’s current hot streak. They fell to 2-4, looking out of sync and uninspired without their leader, and it looked as though Sacramento might fall back into the bottom half of the league after crawling into the upper tier last season. But they’ve won two straight against Western Conference opponents, including a big win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday in the team’s first Play-In Tournament contest.
The Kings are now sitting at a more respectable 4-4, and more good news is on the way. As reported by Shams Charania on Monday, De’Aaron Fox is gearing up to make his return, which could come as early as Monday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. If he is unable to go in that one, then he’ll almost certainly make his comeback on Wednesday as the Kings travel to Los Angeles to play the Lakers.
Sacramento Will Need Fox For Their Long Road Trip
De’Aaron Fox, who is currently listed as doubtful, was a full participant in this morning’s shootaround.
His status for tonight’s game vs. CLE is still TBD. pic.twitter.com/gqdF3UruSV
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) November 13, 2023
While the team has shown improvement over the last two games, Fox is the engine that gives them one of the more dynamic offenses in the NBA. Sacramento was able to finish as the 3rd seed in the Western Conference last season, and they’ll need to be at full strength for most of the season if they hope to avoid a let-down in 2023-24.
After tonight’s game against the Cavaliers, the Kings will set out on one of their longest road trips of the season. They’ll leave on Tuesday to play in LA on Wednesday, and won’t be back until likely the early morning hours of November 25th, two days after Thanksgiving. They’ll play seven games in that span, including a back-t0-back in New Orleans against the Pelicans.
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