Kings to start Mitchell in place of injured Fox vs. Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Kings will be without their star point guard Wednesday night as they travel 85 miles southwest to take on the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.
De’Aaron Fox will miss his first game of the 2023-24 season after sustaining a moderate right ankle sprain in Sacramento’s 132-127 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night at Golden 1 Center. The Kings confirmed he would miss Wednesday’s game, but his status beyond that will be determined at a later time.
Kings third-year guard Davion Mitchell will start in Fox’s place for the Northern California showdown in San Francisco.
Mitchell worked on his game all summer, specifically his shooting, and while his offseason work has yet to translate to the court so far in the first three games, this opportunity could be just what he needs to showcase his improvements.
“You can’t really fill in De’Aaron Fox’s shoes, but you can try to help your team out in different ways,” Mitchell told reporters after Tuesday’s practice. “So I think that’s what I’m doing.”
The 25-year-old, dubbed “Off-Night” for his elite on-ball defense, has been a problem for many opposing offenses and ball handlers.
These two teams are well-acquainted with each other, having faced each other 11 times since April, and Mitchell’s biggest task each time is to lock down Steph Curry — or, try to.
Mitchell typically keeps up more than most can, although there really is no stopping Curry. But his job on Wednesday will be more than just defense. With Fox out, Mitchell will have to step up on the other end of the floor, too.
Fox already is averaging 31.3 points on 48.6 percent shooting this season, along with 4.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists.
The King surely will miss Fox’s reliable scoring and clutch play, but this is the perfect opportunity for not just Mitchell, but other guys to step up and come together.