Dennis Schröder Limited in Practice as Season Opener Approaches

Schröder has an awkward fall in the preseason finale where his shoe fell off and he came up limping, but returned to action after exiting briefly. We don't know any additional details on Schröder, but it's something to keep an eye on as the season is set to get underway.

It's unfortunate timing for Schröder, who had his best preseason game by far on Friday, finishing with a team-high 25 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal on 10-of-17, 58.8%, shooting from the field and 1-of-3, 33.3%, from three.

He looked smooth and controlled throughout the game and was in a better rythym than the first three contests. Hopefully it's nothing major and he's ready to go on Wednesday, but we'll wait to find out more as the game gets closer.

Schröder has been resilient throughout his 12-year career, playing over 60 games every season outside of his rookie year with the Atlanta Hawks. He's obviously getting older, but it's a good sign that this is likely a minor issue that could result in no missed time at all.

This is the exact reason that the Kings went out and signed Russell Westbrook on the eve of the regular season. They have multiple guards on the team, but they seem set on playing Malik Monk as a shooting guard rather than the backup point guard, and now Westbrook would likely get the start instead of Monk.

Westbrook started 36 games last season with the Denver Nuggets, so stepping into the starting role is something he's familiar with in the later stages of his career. As a starter last year, Westbrook averaged 15.3 points, 7.0 assists, and 6.1 rebounds in 31.6 minutes per game.

That's a pretty great luxury to have for the Kings to have step into Schröder's slot if he ends up missing any time.

Isaac Jones will be another name to keep a close eye on, as he's battling Dario Saric for a starting role with Murray being out. He got the start on Friday against the Lakers, and helped seal the victory down the stretch as the Kings got their first and only win of the preseason.

Every team gets hit with the injury bug at some point of the season, but for the Kings, it feels like everything is being front loaded for the beginning of the year. Hopefully this is the worst of it for stacking injuries, Schröder is ready to go on Wednesday, and the team has a healthy year ahead.