Seth Curry likely to return to Kings lineup Friday

Sacramento Kings guard Seth Curry has been waiting for his shot in the NBA for a long time. Bouncing around the D-League in the shadow of his older brother Steph, the 25-year-old finally got his number called last week when George Karl inserted him into a game against the Houston Rockets. Pretty quickly, he sent the crowd into a frenzy hitting a few shots to get the Kings back into the game - he finished with 8 points on 3-4 shooting.

It was only 15 minutes, but those 15 minutes in the Rockets game gave Kings fans the glimmer of hope that happens nearly every season - you know, the one that makes everyone say, "We must play that guy more." (His last name surely adds a little more to that push). But at the start of the fourth quarter he felt something wasn't quite right. The next morning his ankle was swollen and he couldn't walk. The Kings next game was against his brother and the Golden State Warriors, but Curry wouldn't get a chance to face his sibling due to a right ankle sprain. Kings fans and the younger Curry had to put it on hold, which was a tough to pill to swallow given the opportunity that was in front of him. Darren Collison had, and still has, a left hamstring sprain leaving him sidelined, making Rajon Rondo the only other active point guard on the roster.

"It was very frustrating, through preseason and early in the season I was kind of waiting my turn and awaiting my opportunity and then when I got some good momentum playing and then was going to have an opportunity to play, this happened, so it's terrible timing, obviously, but I've worked hard to get back as soon as possible," said Curry, who has had ankle sprains before but has been able to come back from them quicker than this one.

A week after his showing off the bench against Houston, the 6'2'', 185-Curry will get his shot against the Brooklyn Nets. On Friday, the team listed him as probable. Curry moved well in practice on Thursday, beating James Anderson and Ben McLemore off the dribble and shooting over them on more than one occasion during drills.

Curry's return on Friday will be a welcome sight for head coach George Karl and Rajon Rondo's legs. Rondo has played 140 minutes over the last three games and has looked great, averaging 12 points, 14 assists and 9.6 rebounds over that stretch. The problem is he ends up exhausted by the fourth quarter - something you never want from a key player in November. Karl said Thursday he will likely use Curry to give Rondo some rest. How much Karl will trust Curry with minutes is always the question, however.

Curry has been impressed with Rondo's ability to carry the team from the point guard spot.

"He's been doing everything we need ... trying to get off the losing streak and he's had to put more on his plate with me and Darren going down so it's good to see him go out there and not complain about playing so many minutes and just do whatever it takes to help this team win," Curry said.

Seth Curry is not Steph Curry, that is a given and will be/should be repeated a lot. But with the Kings sitting at 2-7 and trying to put drama behind them, a spark off the bench and some fun would be a welcome sight. Let's see what he can do.