There are some lower ranked teams putting their opponents in trouble. The Los Angeles Lakers were led by LeBron James to take a 3-1 advantage over the Memphis Grizzlies. On the other side are the Milwaukee Bucks losing 3-1 to the Miami Heat largely because of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s injury.

This case was a particular one since the favorite seemed to be the lowest seeded club. The Kings were outstanding in the first two games to put the Warriors near the elimination. De’Aaron Fox was the main reason of those surprises, so they will need him to keep Steph Curry’s team behind.

Is Kings’ De’Aaron Fox playing on game 5 against the Warriors?

Fox has been the top scorer for Sacramento in their quest to eliminate the defending NBA champions. He is averaging 31.5 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in the first playoffs of his career. His dominance especially on the offensive side has been impressive, making a potential absence devastating for the team.

The Kings’ star got injured in the heartbreaking 126-125 loss on game 4. He suffered a “fractured index finger in his left shooting hand”, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. That put him as “doubtful” for the next game, but he provided an encouraging update.

“There was a chance I could possibly not play, but I’m like 99-100% going to play. Mike [Kings coach Brown] are on the same page. I feel all right. At the end of the day, I’m fine. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but obviously depending on how much it gets hit and things like that, then I feel like the pain will increase”, Fox said.

“With what I’m wearing, the big thing for me was could I feel the pad of my finger. If you’re playing basketball, you’re throwing a ball, you want to be able to feel the ball on your finger. That was the big thing for me and it’s protecting what it needs to protect”, he explained about the pretention he has been using.

Needless to say, there’s no shortage of talent when it comes to the NBA, meaning there are always multiple snubs from the big game. Still, sometimes, some players ball out in such an impressive way that there’s nochance they don’t get selected.

Now that the All-Star Game is just around the corner, some young players will finally get their first opportunity to make an appearance. Or at least they should. Here, we let you know who those young men are.

NBA Rumors: 3 Young Players Who Should Be First-Time All-Stars

3. De’Aaron Fox

The Sacramento Kings look poised to end their league-worst postseason drought once and for all. And while Domantas Sabonis gets plenty of credit for that— and rightfully so, De’Aaron Fox might have finally taken that leap forward.

The Kentucky product has been one of the flashiest players in the league this season. His speed, playmaking, and athleticism make him a one-man show, averaging 23.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.3 three-pointers on 50% from the floor.

2. Tyrese Haliburton

Tyrese Haliburton is proving that he can be a franchise cornerstone. He’s leading the league in total assists, all while rarely turning the ball over and making a fool out of defenders with his versatile scoring skills.

Haliburton has the rebuilding Indiana Pacers way ahead of schedule and is the main reason why they’re in playoff contention right now. Thus far, he’s averaging 20.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 3.0 triples a night on 48/40/88 shooting splits.

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has scored more points than Paul George and Kawhi Leonard combined, sothe Los Angeles Clippers may regret that trade now. He’s been a driving force on both ends of the floor.

While the Oklahoma City Thunder may be a ways away from contention, Shai is blossoming as a two-way superstar. Throughout the season, he’s averaged 30.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.0 three-pointers per game on 50% shooting.

Those talks could ramp up and escalate quickly as the trade deadline zooms in. Desperate teams could look to make a big move and trade for Simmons, even if that means meeting Daryl Morey’s steep price.

The Sacramento Kings have reportedly been on the mix to trade for Simmons for quite a while, which would mean parting ways with De’Aaron Fox. That’s why, following a big performance against the Lakers, the Kentucky product opened up on his situation.

De’Aaron Fox Reacts To Trade Rumors Involving Him And Ben Simmons

“You definitely think about potentially being traded because we are struggling,” Fox told Yahoo Sports. “If you do have a change of scenery, it changes everything. I’ve been here for five years. I’ve built a life here, a family here. But once I’m on the court, all that is out the window. You’re not thinking about anything else that can happen outside of your control. But I’ve been through some deadlines. I’ve seen people get traded at the last second. You try not to think about it, but you know it’s a business and anything can happen. I’m not sure what’s going to happen. Obviously, you see reports on Twitter. Am I worried about it? No. Can it happen? Yeah, it can definitely happen.”

Fox is one of the best young point guards in the league and his electric play and playmaking could certainly help the Sixers reach the NBA Finals, while Simmons could get a fresh start once and for all. Now, whether Morey will finally accept a deal for Simmons remains to be seen.

Fox also shed some light on players who refuse to partake in the game, he stated “You know you get fined if you’re supposed to be in it and you’re not hurt and decide not to play? That’s a hefty fine so hell yeah I would play in it. I hope I don’t fined for staying that. S***.”

Fox himself is having an all-star season, he has scored an average of 22.3 points per game with 3.3 rebounds, and 6.6 assists. The Kings on the other hand are in eleventh place in the West with a 10-11 record.

More of De’Aaron Fox comments on the All-Star game

Fox opened up during the interview as he stated that economics are behind the league’s intent to play the All-Star game, he went on to say, “money makes the world go round so it is what it is. I’m not really worried about, if I’m voted in, so be it.”

The NBA All-Star game is scheduled to take place on March 6th in Atlanta, according to sources, with the formal announcement in the works by the end of this week. For the NBA it will be one more step of reestablishing certain traditions after a 2019/2020 season saw the league culminate the season in a bubble in Orlando.