De’Aaron Fox speaks on his injuries after Kings’ loss. ‘Sometimes you just don’t play well’
De’Aaron Fox walked into an empty visiting locker room late Saturday night following the Sacramento Kings’ 143-120 loss to the New York Knicks. All his teammates had showered, dressed and left while Fox was getting treatment from the team’s performance staff.
Fox is dealing with the physical rigors of an 82-game schedule. He came into Saturday’s game, No. 45 on that schedule, questionable to play with a sprained thumb on his right, non-shooting hand. He’s been dealing with an injured pinkie on his shooting hand all season, and he missed three games earlier this month with a glute contusion following a hard fall on a dunk attempt.
The injuries have piled up while his shooting numbers have dropped off. Fox went 6-of-20 against the Knicks, scoring a modest 14 points with four assists. He’s shot 32% from the field over his last six games amid the injuries, well below the 47% clip for his career.
Those numbers have led to external discussion from Kings observers who believe Fox might benefit from taking time off to get healthy rather than play through the injuries and not shoot up to his typical efficiency.
“Well, I had 60 with my hand taped,” Fox said Saturday in the empty Madison Square Garden locker room, referencing his franchise-record 60 points in a Nov. 15 overtime win over Minnesota in which he shot 63% from the floor. “People can make up the excuse they want. Sometimes you just don’t play well.
“I’m just missing shots. That’s the way the game goes sometimes.”
To be sure, Fox’s shooting night was only one of the many reasons the Kings fell to the Knicks. Sacramento allowed 17 offensive rebounds leading to 25 second-chance points (Sacramento had 12). New York had 21 fast-break points (the Kings had 13). The Knicks shot 47% from 3-point range and had four starters with at least 20 points, including Josh Hart, who had a triple-double with 20 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists.
Those aspects of Saturday’s loss had little to do with Fox’s health.
“I’m pretty sure we all deal with some type of injuries that outside people can’t see,” DeMar DeRozan said. “Where it’s easy just to say, ‘sit down.’ But I respect (Fox), I commend him for even just being out there ... regardless of what’s going on. He’ll know better than any of us, what he can and can’t do when it comes to both hands.”
Fox’s teammates and interim coach Doug Christie echoed DeRozan’s sentiments. The idea that Fox should miss games while the Kings are in a heated playoff race to avoid the play-in tournament is not something that’s being considered inside Sacramento’s locker room, they say. Saturday’s loss dropped the Kings to 23-22, 10th place in Western Conference standings and one game above the Golden State Warriors.
“I think more than anything, what we’re learning about Fox is the leadership aspect of the responsibility of being one of the faces of the franchise,” Christie said. “And when you look at him being dinged up here and there, and he’s buckling up, and he’s getting at it, that’s what leadership is all about. He can affect the game in a lot of different ways.”
Christie noted Fox’s ability to defend and push the pace of the offense — which the Kings did in the second quarter on Saturday while they cut the Knicks’ lead from 19 down to 5, but couldn’t sustain it in the second half.
“It’s going to click,” Christie continued. “Not really worried about that. But I know from being in that position, it’s hard. But at the same time, there’s a bigger responsibility, and he is not ducking it, and I respect the hell out of that.”
Added DeRozan: “Sometimes when it’s your hands, it takes a little second just to adjust to the uncomfortability, getting used to dribbling, shooting, doing so many things. But he’s been playing with a messed up left hand all year.”
‘We’re fighting for something’
There are also practical reasons for Fox to continue playing. The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement says players must play at least 65 games to be eligible for postseason awards, including All-NBA.
Getting an All-NBA nod would make Fox eligible for a so-called “super max” extension worth up to $345 million over five years, which is believed to be a reason Fox reportedly turned down a three-year, $165 million contract extension with the Kings during the offseason. Without earning All-NBA recognition, Fox would still be eligible for a four-year, $229 million extension.
“We’re fighting for something,” said teammate Domantas Sabonis, who posted a triple-double in Saturday’s loss. “And he knows we’re fighting to turn this thing around for a playoff spot, and he’s on the court. We know just by him being on the court, it helps us immensely.”
Suffice to say, Fox hasn’t been discussing the injuries with his teammates, or the idea of taking more time off. Sabonis said he didn’t even know Fox was injured until it was mentioned by reporters after the Kings’ previous game in Denver.
“He just fights through it,” Sabonis said.
