NBA: Kings lose center Cauley-Stein for 4 to 6 weeks

Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (00) shoots against Atlanta Hawks in the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, in Atlanta. Atlanta won 103-97. AP Photo

SAN FRANCISCO, United States—Sacramento Kings rookie center Willie Cauley-Stein will miss the next four to six weeks of the NBA season after suffering an open dislocation of his right index finger, the team announced Friday.

Cauley-Stein, selected with the sixth overall pick in last June’s NBA Draft, was injured during Thursday’s 114-97 loss to the Boston Celtics in Mexico City.

READ: Thomas, Celtics beat Kings 114-97 in Mexico City

The 22-year-old US 7-footer (2.13 m) is averaging 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds a game for the Kings after a stellar career at the University of Kentucky.

His best game was in his second game of the season, producing 17 points and nine rebounds in a start against the Los Angeles Lakers.

At 7-13, the Kings are level with Denver for the third-worst mark in the Western Conference.

Cauley-Stein would miss 12 games and return January 2 against Phoenix under the best of timetables. He could miss another seven games and return around January 16 against the Los Angeles Clippers at the most pessimistic end of the timetable scale.