De'Aaron Fox Day-to-Day with Back Injury, Out vs. Trail Blazers

Sacramento Kings rookie point guard De'Aaron Fox suffered a lower back bruise Sunday night and is considered day-to-day, according to the team. 

While X-rays on his back came back negative, he will not play in Monday evening's preseason contest against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Kings took Fox with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft out of Kentucky, and he has flashed a ton of potential in Summer League and preseason play. 

In his lone season at Kentucky, the New Orleans native put up 16.7 points, 4.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. He was impressive during the NCAA tournament, especially when he lit up Lonzo Ball and UCLA for 39 points in a Sweet 16 clash.

The Kings have overhauled their roster and brought in plenty of promising youngsters over the past couple of years, with Fox perhaps being the crown jewel. Sacramento is relatively inexperienced aside from a few veterans, but keeping the young players healthy and playing together is key to the team's development.

If Fox is forced to miss time in the regular season, it could prolong his development process and hinder the team's ability to jell as a whole. The Kings do have some solid depth at point guard, with George Hill and rookie second-round pick Frank Mason III in place to run the offense in Fox's stead.

Fox brings an element of athleticism to the backcourt that Sacramento's other point guards don't, however, which the Kings will sorely miss for as long as he is unavailable.