There is good news on the Sacramento Kings injury front, big man Marvin Bagley III is getting closer to a return after missing six weeks with a broken thumb.
The news is not so good for point guard De’Aaron Fox, who has been out three weeks with a sprained ankle and is going to miss at least a couple more, including Wednesday’s home game against Portland.
Kings update the medical status of De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley: pic.twitter.com/7KQjxWRU0B
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) December 2, 2019
Spoke to De'Aaron Fox before the game. Tested his ankle yesterday with Rico Hines and felt good, but dealing with sprain and a bone bruise in the ankle. 2-3 weeks out a least, but feeling much better.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) December 3, 2019
The Kings have gone 4-5 in those nine games Fox has been out, with a solid defense making up for a bottom-five offense in that stretch. Sacramento has been helped because it does have depth at the point guard spot after signing Cory Joseph over the summer to a three-year, $37 million contract, plus picking up a team option on Yogi Ferrell.
Still, the promise of the Kings has been unfulfilled this season due to injuries. After a breakout season a year ago, this season Fox had come back to earth a little in new coach Luke Walton’s system — his turnovers were up and his efficiency had slipped, but he was still putting up 18.2 points and dishing out 7 assists a game.
Fortunately, in a West that is not as deep as predicted before the season, the Kings are just three games back of a playoff spot and not out of things. They just need to get healthy and find a groove.