Sacramento Kings Injury Report (Nov 6): Latest update on De’Aaron Fox and Trey Lyles's availability
The Sacramento Kings face the Houston Rockets on Monday, Nov. 6. Both teams have gotten off to a 2-3 start to the season. However, the Kings will head into the game against Ime Udoka's team as the favorites to secure a victory. The Sacramento has been steadily improving under the tutelage of Mike Brown.
At the time of writing, De'Aaron Fox and Trey Lyles are both ruled out of the contest against the Rockets. Fox is dealing with a right ankle sprain while Lyles is dealing with a left calf sprain.
Sacramento won't be the only team without some of their primary rotation, though. The Rockets are without Tari Eason, Victor Oladipo, and Amen Thompson, who are all listed as out due to injury.
Nevertheless, Fox's absence will hit the Kings hard. The electric guard is key to how the offense ticks due to his pace and elite scoring ability. With Fox sidelined, Domantas Sabonis will shoulder a heavy burden on offense and will likely need to run some two-man actions with impressive sophomore Keegan Murray.
Murray is a potential All-Star talent and will step into a bigger role for the Kings while Fox continues his recovery. Davion Mitchell's defense will also be imperative to keeping the Rockets subdued throughout the contest.
De'Aaron Fox had a strong start to the season for the Sacramento Kings
Last season, De'Aaron Fox made the first All-Star appearance of his career. To begin the new basketball year, Fox has been electric on offense. In his first three games, the seventh-year guard is averaging 31.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists on 48.6% shooting from the field.
Mike Brown likes his Kings team to push the pace whenever possible. The two-man game between Fox and Domantas Sabonis has been an unstoppable weapon for the Kings.
Most of those actions come via dribble hand-offs at the elbow, where defenders have the tough choice of doubling Fox or tracking Sabonis as he either rolls to the rim or pops toward the wing.
Sacramento will likely be patient with Fox's recovery. The All-Star guard doesn't have a concerning injury history, so the absence will be viewed as nothing more than a slight setback to begin the season. As such, Mike Brown and his coaching staff will likely look at the bigger picture and ensure Fox is healthy before bringing him back into the rotation.
The Kings ended a 16-season playoff drought last year. They will want to build on that success by making it out of the first round later this season. Fox will be integral to any chance of that goal becoming a reality.