De’Aaron Fox avoids major injury but will miss time; could mean bigger role for Malik Monk

The Sacramento Kings are one of the young teams in the Western Conference capable of making a deep playoff push this season. 25-year-old De’Aaron Fox has been a large part of their success in recent seasons, securing the third seed in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

Fox has erupted onto the scene as one of the best guards in the NBA, averaging 25 points per game last season. He had averaged 31.3 per game through the first three games of this season, scoring 37 against the Lakers on Sunday and 39 on the Warriors on Friday.

However, Fox is set to miss some time after a right ankle sprain, but he thankfully did miss a fracture or anything more concerning, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The timeline for his return is unknown, but it doesn’t appear like the star will miss much time.

Fox isn’t just a scoring guard. He earned the league’s first Clutch Player of the Year last season, beating out DeMar DeRozan and Jimmy Butler for the honor. He also averaged 6.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game a season ago, so he has truly become a do-it-all talent for the Kings.

If he were to miss substantial time, there could’ve been playoff concerns for the young team, but he should be back soon. Sacramento is 2-1 through three games this season.

In the meantime, Fox’s absence would mean more offensive output for fellow Kentucky Wildcats alum Malik Monk. That’s exactly what happened in Sunday’s win over the Lakers, as Monk carried the team in overtime with 11 points in the final frame.

Monk attempted just 16 shots over his first two games but had 17 against the Lakers, hitting seven of them while shooting 4/9 from deep.

Look for Monk to have a bigger role while Fox is sidelined.

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