De’Aaron Fox and Co. have been hit with another wave of preseason injuries. Jordan McLaughlin and Trey Lyles suffered injuries during offseason workouts and will be out for two to three weeks. The Kings’ rookie Devin Carter is already out for the season, having just come out of left shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. And as for Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter; they are listed as probable for the start of the season.

Lyles sustained a left groin strain while McLaughlin suffered a Grade 2 right ankle sprain, which will be reevaluated in approximately three and two weeks, respectively, the Kings’ official injury report said. Jordan is fresh off inking a one-year deal with the Kings. Expected to serve the role of backup point guard behind De’Aaron Fox, Keon Ellis would have had to compete for the position.

And when healthy, the five-year veteran could give a run for Ellis’ money. 2023-24 saw Jordan shoot a career-high 47.2% from the three in 56 games with Minnesota. He also had 3.5 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game to go with that. As for Ellis, the second-year guard stepped up for the ‘Beam Town’ in a big way, earning him an insane increase in floor time – 4.4 minutes in the rookie season to 17.2 minutes per game last year.

And while he showcased an equally impressive stat line – 5.4/2.2/1.5 draining 41.7% from the deep, McLaughlin is coming from an equally competitive atmosphere and has experience on his side.

Unfortunately, the 28-year-old will miss valuable time getting acquainted with the new team and the ways of Sacramento. What about Lyles?

De’Aaron Fox and Co. will miss one of their top reserves for the preseason

The first seven years of his NBA journey saw Lyles switch four teams before finally landing in Sacramento. “This is the most at home I’ve felt with any team that I’ve been on. These guys are like brothers to me. One through 15, everybody gets along, so this is definitely an atmosphere and somewhere that I want to stay,” Lyles said in the 2022-23 end-of-season presser.

The Kings clearly felt the same way given they offered a two-year deal to the nine-year veteran. And since his arrival in the Donte DiVincenzo deal in February 2022, he’s been a key piece off the bench for the team. Last year, too, Trey did his part, improving his three-point volume and efficiency (38.4% on 3.8 treys attempted per game as opposed to 36.3% on 3.2). His production in other areas, though, largely remained the same.

Then again, the ex-Kentucky product struggled with injuries. From 74 games in 2022-23 to just 58 last season, Lyles missed quite a lengthy stretch with a lingering calf injury. But given his timeline this time, he should be able to make it in time just before the regular season. If there aren’t any setbacks, that is.

Anyway, keep checking this space for more updates as they come.