Kings guard Zach LaVine, who injured his left ankle on Sunday vs. Minnesota, has been diagnosed with a moderate ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in one week, per Sean Cunningham of KCRA News in Sacramento (Twitter link).
LaVine sustained the injury when he rolled his ankle on a drive to the basket with 5:20 left in the second quarter of Sunday’s game (Twitter video link). He stayed in the game for another three minutes, then came out to warm up at halftime, but ultimately returned to the locker room without checking back into the game.
Through 23 appearances (all starts), LaVine has been the Kings’ leading scorer, averaging 20.2 points per game with a strong shooting line of .487/.385/.867. However, he has nearly as many turnovers (51) as assists (52), and his 2.3 assists per game are a career low. The club has also been outscored by 13.2 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court.
LaVine is considered a potential in-season trade candidate for the 6-20 Kings, but his defensive limitations and maximum-salary contract – which includes a $49MM player option for 2026/27 – will limit his value on the market.
Kings rookie Nique Clifford is the top candidate to take LaVine’s place in the starting five for the next few games. Clifford started last Thursday when LaVine sat out due to a thumb injury and opened the second half on Sunday with the starters.
Another injured Kings star, center Domantas Sabonis, will be reevaluated in the coming days, a league source tells James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). The club officially announced on November 20 that Sabonis had a partially torn meniscus in his left knee and would be reevaluated in about three or four weeks. This Thursday represents the four-week mark.
Kings are the Raiders of NBA
It begins Kings fans, a pain I know all too well.