​Sacramento Kings rookie forward Alex Karaban will miss at least one week after injuring himself during team practice on Thursday, according to Jeremiah Salmonson of SRS. An MRI confirmed a right ankle sprain, and he will be reevaluated in one week. He will be sidelined for the two-city, three-day California Classic, which begins Friday in Sacramento and San Francisco.
The 23-year-old appeared to aggravate the injury while contesting a shot by undrafted forward Marquel Sutton in video footage captured by Brenden Nunes of Sactown Sports 1140. He left the court after the play but managed to walk off unassisted. Kings coach report noted that Karaban rolled his ankle toward the end of today’s practice and did not return. There was no update yet on the severity or his status.
Karaban was the 29th overall pick after a standout senior season at UConn in which he averaged 13.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 37.4 percent from three-point range. He earned first-team All-Big East honors and helped the Huskies reach their third national championship game in four years. In his four years at UConn, Karaban left as the program’s all-time leader in wins (126), starts (150), minutes (4,906) and three-pointers (292), and he ranked sixth in scoring (1,880). He also became the first active Husky to be inducted into the Huskies of Honor.
Although Karaban will miss the California Classic, there is a possibility he could be cleared to participate in the NBA Summer League, which starts on July 9 in Las Vegas. The Kings will provide further updates on his status as they become available.