When Marvin Bagley got carried off the floor during Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, it was unknown how long the rookie would be out. Now, we the know the Sacramento Kings’ future star will miss between 1-2 weeks of action due to a left knee injury. It might be long enough to ruin their chances of making the postseason.
The Kings (31-30) enter their stretch run with two straight losses. In fact, they have fallen in 3 of the 4 game since All-star break. However, the Kings suffered a one-point loss to the Bucks last night. Another loss came in the final seconds to the Golden State Warriors by two points. Those are the two No. 1 seeds in their respective divisions. Still, there aren’t any moral victories when the playoffs are on the line.
Bagley is averaging 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds in 47 games. He has already missed 14 games. There’s a chance Bagley may miss at least six games if he is out a full two weeks. If he is out longer, Bagley might not be a factor in the final three weeks of the season. Naturally, every game counts and the Kings have some ground to make up.
The Kings are two games out of the final playoff spot with 21 games remaining. They are also one game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers. Therefore, they may pass the Los Angeles Clippers and still miss out on the postseason if the Lakers make a late-season run.
Unfortunately, Bagley was starting to become the missing link. He is averaging 15.7 points per game since returning from an injury that made him miss almost a month of action between December and January. Bagley has been even better in late February. During the five games prior to Wednesday’s loss to the Bucks, Bagley was pouring in 23 points and 9 rebounds per game. However, the injury held Bagley to nine points in 18 minutes last night.
As well as he has played, the future is still the most important thing. Therefore, it won’t be a surprise if the Kings take the long range approach to Bagley’s injury. At least they know there isn’t any structural damage to his left knee. Yet, they would love to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
