Even after missing 17 games due to injury, Swipa hasn't missed a step.
De’Aaron Fox returned to action on Tuesday night after a five week absence stemming from a severe left ankle sprain.
While No. 5 wasn’t in his usual starting spot in the lineup, everything else about his game seemed to be on par from what Sacramento has seen from its floor general.
Against the Charlotte Hornets, the Kentucky product racked up a team-high 19 points to go with eight assists in his 29 minutes of action.
Though Sactown was unable to come up with a victory in its second and final matchup with the Hornets this season, having De’Aaron back on the court served as a silver lining for the squad.
“I thought [Fox] looked good and was moving well, created some good looks and opportunities for us and we will continue to get better and learn from this game,” said Kings head coach Luke Walton following the game.
Swipa also talked about getting his stamina back up to speed following his time away from the court.
“It was different,” said Fox. “You can do all of the conditioning that you want, it’s not the same as playing basketball.”
Much like De’Aaron, Marvin Bagley III also missed an extended portion of this season already due to injury and discussed the team meshing back together with both of them returning.
“It’s different because the whole time I was out and De’Aaron was out, they had a certain group and we just need to work our way back in,” said Bagley III. “It’s coming along fine. Like I said, we just let this one go. It’s nothing to worry about. We just have to fix our mistakes and continue to move forward and try to win.”
The Kings will have a two-day break before suiting back up to take on the Indiana Pacers as their four-game road swing continues.