Can De’Aaron Fox play in Kings-Warriors playoff series? Medical experts explain injury

The Kings provided a medical update on De’Aaron Fox on Monday evening following reports the All-Star point guard had suffered a broken finger Sunday in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.

The team confirmed Fox underwent X-rays that revealed an avulsion fracture to the left index finger on his shooting hand. He will be listed as doubtful when the Kings play the Warriors in Game 5 on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center. The best-of-seven series is tied at 2-2 following Sacramento’s 126-125 loss on Sunday at Chase Center in San Francisco.

Jeff Stotts is a certified athletic trainer who operates InStreetClothes.com and serves as an injury analyst for Rotowire. Stotts published an entry on his website Monday explaining the nature of the injury, range of treatments and the possibility of Fox playing through the injury.

Stotts explained that avulsion fractures in the fingertips occur when one of the muscles that anchors to the distal phalanx pulls away a small piece of the bone. Stotts noted that such injuries “result in different deformities based on the muscle involved, specifically mallet finger for an extensor injury and jersey finger for a flexor injury.”

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), most mallet finger injuries will heal with nonoperative treatment over a period of eight to 12 weeks, even when treatment is delayed up to three or four months. However, a jersey finger diagnosis requires surgical treatment and generally means eight to 12 weeks of inability to compete in most contact sports.

A mallet finger injury usually results from an axial or jamming force directed at the fingertip while the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) is in active extension. A jersey finger injury usually results from forced hyperextension of the DIPJ, often while a player is grasping the jersey of an opponent who quickly pulls away.

The Kings have not disclosed the exact nature of the injury, but it occurred with 4:35 to play in the fourth quarter when Warriors center Kevon Looney swatted at a layup attempt in a downward motion, striking the tip of Fox’s finger. Fox remained in the game to score seven of his 38 points on a pull-up jumper, two free throws and a clutch 3-pointer in the final minute.

The apparent jamming impact from Looney might suggest a mallet finger injury for Fox. According to the NIH, return to sport is allowed after eight to 12 weeks of treatment. However, the NIH notes, “competitive athletes are generally reluctant to the loss of play” and “for a mallet finger, a few weeks of delay in treatment may be acceptable if the athlete is in a critical phase of the season.”

Stotts noted that a number of players have played through index finger fractures, including Roger Mason Jr. and Kobe Bryant.

“Bryant’s situation is particularly interesting as he suffered the injury twice, once in 2009 and again in 2010,” Stotts wrote. “He played through the injury in 09 and missed just a pair of games the following season. Kobe wore a splint on the injured digit for the entirety of Los Angeles’ run to the 2010 title.”

Bryant’s injury was to the ring finger on his shooting hand. Warriors star Stephen Curry sought Bryant’s advice when he fractured the ring finger on his shooting hand in November 2017, an injury that caused him to miss one game against the Kings. ESPN reported Bryant told Curry it was one of the more painful injuries he experienced in his career and it did not heal quickly.

There was some hope in Sacramento on Monday that Fox would be able to play through the injury. Fox is averaging 31.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.5 steals in his first career playoff series, but it remains to be seen how effective he could be with the injury.

“If he can suit up, look for Fox to wear some sort of protection on the injured digit,” Stotts wrote. “However, the fracture did occur to his shooting hand and a splint would likely negatively impact his touch on the ball.”