Alex Karaban’s first NBA run will have to wait.
The Sacramento Kings said the former UConn standout will sit out the California Classic after an MRI revealed a sprained right ankle suffered in practice. The injury happened Thursday when Karaban landed on another player’s foot during a scrimmage.
Sacramento opens the weekend event Saturday at 5 p.m. ET against the Brooklyn Nets. Karaban is set to be re-evaluated next Friday, the second day of the traditional summer league in Las Vegas, and he has not been ruled out for that event, which runs from July 9-19.
The Kings landed Karaban in a draft-night trade after he was originally taken No. 29 by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sacramento sent the No. 34 pick and a 2032 second-round draft pick to Cleveland to complete the deal.
Karaban had sounded eager to get started when he met the Sacramento media for the first time on Monday. He talked about putting on his new No. 33 Kings jersey, getting on the floor and helping spark a turnaround for a team that went 22-60 last season after finishing 42-40 the year before.
“Winning is always number one for me,” Karaban, 23, said. “I just want to go out there, win the California Classic, win in Vegas, get the team chemistry going out there with the different players, and then just trying to identify what I could do to help, make an impact on this Kings team. So just trying to showcase that every game.”
He had already shown plenty of anticipation, even telling the TV crew waiting for him at the airport last week how excited he was for the California Classic.
The injury is a rare setback for a player whose college career at UConn was defined by durability as much as production. Karaban finished his four seasons as the program’s all-time leader in wins with 126, games played with 151, starts with 150, minutes with 4,906 and 3-point field goals made with 292.
During that stretch, the Huskies won two national championships and finished as NCAA Tournament runner-up in another season. Karaban missed only three games in his UConn career - two because of concussion protocol and one with a mild ankle sprain.
The three games he’ll miss this weekend will match his total number of absences over four years in Storrs.
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Tarris Reeds Spurs Debut Was Suddenly Overshadowed By Another UConn Setback
Tarris Reed Jr. finally got his NBA Summer League debut with the Spurs, and the former UConn big man gave them a useful first look in an 88-87 loss to the Heat. Reed finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and a block, flashing the kind of interior presence that made him such an interesting development piece coming out of Storrs, even if the night had the usual first-game bumps.
Spurs Summer League coach Corliss Williamson said the performance still had some rust and jitters in it, which is hardly surprising for a player making his first appearance at that level. For UConn fans tracking the pro summer circuit, Reeds outing was also part of a broader watch list that suddenly feels a little more complicated, with another familiar name now facing a setback that could alter the early rhythm of his summer. [Read more 🡒]