Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox injures ankle, but John Calipari says it's 'not serious'

Kentucky freshman De’Aaron Fox, one of the top point guards in college basketball, rolled his right ankle in the first half of Saturday’s game against South Carolina.

Fox did not return to the game. Instead, he returned to the bench on crutches in the second half with a walking boot on his right foot.

Kentucky coach John Calipari, however, did not seem too concerned. “I think it was a stinger or something, but they told me it’s not serious,” Calipari said. “It’s not swollen. Something hit his ankle. He’s in a boot, but they said there was no swelling, so I don’t know.”

Here’s the play on which the injury occurred. Fox drives to his right, and when he attempts to come to a jump stop, his right foot lands awkwardly:

Fox immediately left the game and was originally designated as questionable to return, but Kentucky soon announced that he was out for the game. He had scored six points in eight minutes before exiting. Here he is on the bench with the boot:

Kentucky won the game, 85-69, and is now 17-2 and 7-0 in the SEC.

The crutches and walking boot are likely precautionary at this point, with no official diagnosis of the injury or its severity. But if Fox were to miss any time, it would be a massive blow to the Wildcats. Fox was the catalyst on the second-most efficient offense in college basketball, and his athleticism sets the tone for Kentucky’s defense as well.