De’Aaron Fox leaves game against the Timberwolves with quad contusion
By Tyler Watts
De’Aaron Fox injured his quad in the Dec. 14 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Continue reading for more about his injury and its ramifications.
The Sacramento Kings struggled mightily on Dec. 14 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves scored over 30 points in each of the first three quarters to defeat Sacramento 119-96 on Thursday. Below is a highlight video from that game in case you missed the action.
The bad news did not stop there, though. Star rookie De’Aaron Fox left the game after playing just seven minutes in the first quarter. Fox had contact with Karl-Anthony Towns early in the contest and appeared to be in significant pain as he exited the court. The team ruled him out quickly with a quad contusion. Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee sent out the following tweet after the game.
De'Aaron Fox said he asked to come out of the game after being kneed in the the quad by Karl-Anthony Towns. Said if he were able to run, he would have gone back into the game.
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) December 15, 2017
What the news means
A quad contusion does not sound like a multiple week injury, but the words from Fox after the game are concerning. The Kings next play on Sunday in Toronto, so please monitor the status of Fox in the coming days.
Who steps up?
If De’Aaron Fox misses time, expect to see more ball handling from George Hill and more minutes for Frank Mason. George Hill has underperformed this season, and a lot of that comes down to lack of having the ball in his hands. Expect to see Hill with more opportunities if Fox is out. Frank Mason would also get a bump in minutes and production as he moves into the backup point guard role. Be on the lookout for both players if Fox misses Sunday’s game.
Final thoughts
De’Aaron Fox exited the Dec. 14 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a quad contusion in the first quarter and did not return. The severity of the injury is unknown as of this writing, so stay tuned for updates as they become available. The fifth overall pick in 2017 needs seasoning, so hopefully, he returns healthy for Sunday’s game. Stay tuned.
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