SACRAMENTO -- Marvin Bagley III is on the mend. The rookie big has been out of action since coming down hard on his left leg Dec. 14 against the Warriors. He was originally diagnosed with a sprained left knee, but an MRI revealed a bone bruise in the joint.
After being evaluated last Friday, the Kings announced Bagley would miss an additional two weeks at a minimum. He’s was on the court working out on Saturday and again in pregame before the team played the Lakers on Sunday.
Following practice on Wednesday, the 19-year-old officially spoke to the media for the first time since the injury.
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“I feel great, it’s feeling great,” Bagley said. “I’ve been going through each day focusing on strengthening my quads and all the areas of my legs so when I come back, I’ll be a better player than I was. The process is moving along very well.”
Bagley is averaging 12.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.0 block in 23.1 minutes over his first 26 games. The Kings need his presence on the court, but they are taking a long approach to his recovery.
“When I got hurt, I was definitely disappointed to miss time and I definitely want to be out there with my teammates,” Bagley said. “At the same time, I feel like everything happens for a reason and during this time, I’ve been learning a lot and just watching. Figuring out how to just get my body stronger.”
Bagley said he felt a vibration in the joint when he first went down, but knew it wasn’t serious when he was able to walk off the court under his own power.
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At this point, he feels no pain in the knee. He doesn’t have a date set for his return, but the goal is to build up his cardio while focusing on strengthening the muscles in his legs in hopes of avoiding issues like this in the future.