The Kings will be without one of their top players on Friday night, as Tyrese Haliburton won't play against the Detroit Pistons due to calf soreness, NBC Sports California's James Ham reported Friday.
Haliburton has been phenomenal for the Kings after being the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and has played the second-most minutes per game of any rookie this season behind Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro.
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The Iowa State product has the third-best scoring average and second-best assist per game mark among first-year players, and far and away has the best 3-point percentage among rookies with at least 100 attempts from downtown in 2020-21.
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Haliburton only has started two of his 30 games for the Kings this season, and coach Luke Walton spoke earlier this week about wanting to wait before moving the soon-to-be 21-year-old into the starting lineup.
“I know we’ve lost eight in a row and we’ve got to get off this, but I’d like to see a little bit more,” Walton said Tuesday. “We were having some really good success with how that team was playing before, so I’d like to get a little more of a sample size before making any major moves like that."
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Detroit comes in with the NBA's second-worst record, so the Kings should still be able to emerge victorious with Haliburton sidelined.