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Another week, another injury/illness that has De’Aaron Fox iffy to play.
It was just three weeks ago that a stomach bug had Fox looking doubtful to play at Florida, but he ended up coming off the bench in what turned into a blowout loss. Now, a knee issue is muddying up his status going into Saturday’s rematch with the Gators.
Lost in Tuesday’s win over Missouri was an awkward landing by Fox that caused him to twist his knee.
Rewatched De’Aaron Fox injury. Here is a screen shot, he fell really awkwardly, his leg bent underneath him with Gabriel falling on him. pic.twitter.com/iCuDBPbMrr
— Curtis Burch (@curtisburch) February 23, 2017
KSR has since reported that Fox could be limited Saturday if he even plays at all. On Friday, John Calipari previewed the big rematch and gave a brief update on Fox, who didn’t practice Thursday and will be a game-time decision Saturday.
Calipari gives an update on De'Aaron Fox. pic.twitter.com/V07zCSKrsn
— Curtis Burch (@curtisburch) February 24, 2017
Calipari also said it’s a bone bruise that’s affecting Fox, so at least this doesn’t appear to be a serious injury. Based on the way Calipari spoke of it, it’s not a real issue that will affect Fox long term, though it’s safe to think he’ll be limited Saturday if he’s able to play.
Fox has previously dealt with an ankle injury suffered on Jan. 21 against South Carolina. That coupled with his illness has led to the freshman guard dishing out 31 assists vs 21 turnovers over his last nine games, an average of just 3.4 assists vs 2.3 turnovers per contest.
He’s also shooting just 37-of-94 from the field (39%) over his last eight games after hitting 43-of-71 (61%) in the prior six games. His struggles have been a big reason why Kentucky has looked like a shell of itself this month. Even if Fox plays Saturday, we shouldn’t expect him to be close to what he was earlier in the season when he was healthy.
Let’s just hope it’s enough to help Kentucky score a crucial win over Florida. Then again, maybe Kentucky is better off resting Fox for a week or two to get him as healthy as possible for the NCAA Tournament. The way the Cats are playing right now, it’s hard to see them making a deep run, especially if Fox gets injured further.