De'Aaron Fox returned from his ankle sprain last night in a big way. He finished with a team-high 19 points, 8 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals in 30 minutes.
Fox joined Marvin Bagley III in coming off the bench as they get back into game shape. According to ESPN, Bagley said that the Kings have been running with a certain group the whole time that he and Fox were sidelined. Naturally, it will take time for the two young starters to get in the groove again.
Fox finished with a respectable minus-3 off the bench, while Bagley finished with a team-low minus-19. Not ideal, but these issues will certainly be addressed as the team moves forward.
Coach Luke Walton has stated that the Kings plan to be careful with Fox as they ease him back and that he is on a minutes restriction. He will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis as to how he feels.
Despite that, his game included a leap over Devonte' Graham and an early knee-on-knee scare. You can guarantee Kings executives Vlade and Vivek had sweaty palms watching this one from the booth.
It was clear to viewers that Fox has no fear being back out on the court. He runs well and there do not seem to be any ill effects from his injury. As soon as he's back in the starting lineup, expect to see some more SacTown wins.
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