De'Aaron Fox Ruled out for Kings vs. Magic with Knee Injury

Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox will miss Friday night's game against the Orlando Magic due to a knee injury, according to The Athletic's Jason Jones. 

The 23-year-old already missed time with a hamstring injury this season and played just 51 games during the 2019-20 campaign. However, he was durable during his first two seasons in the league and appeared in 73 games in 2017-18 and 81 games in 2018-19.

When healthy, Fox is an on-floor leader for the Kings.

They selected him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, and he is both a threat to blow past the defense on any play with his speed in the open court or facilitate when opponents collapse on his penetration.

Fox is averaging a career-high 23.4 points to go along with 6.7 assists per game so far this season. 

While the Kings need their point guard back and healthy to compete long term in the Western Conference, they do have other options to fill in if he is sidelined. Look for Cory Joseph and Tyrese Haliburton to be the primary ball-handlers, and Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes can provide offense on the wing.