Marvin Bagley III, the Kings’ No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft, has played just 13 games this season due to injury. That may be all he does this season.
Bagley has aggravated his foot sprain and is going to miss at least another three weeks. That’s another 11 games. Minimum.
James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area has the details.
Marvin Bagley visited foot specialist Dr. Martin O'Malley, who confirmed that he aggravated his mid-foot sprain. The Kings will update his condition again in three weeks. No timetable for a return.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) February 20, 2020
From the official Kings’ press release:
He recently incorporated stationary shooting and partial-weight bearing conditioning activities into his regimen, in addition to ongoing strength work.
Stationary shooting drills and working out in a pool does not sound like a guy who will be back in three weeks. Considering the Kings’ place in the standings, it’s fair to question if he will — or should — return to the court this season at all.
Bagley was the player GM Vlade Divac took instead of Luka Doncic — something that has reportedly ticked off owner Vivek Ranadive. As it should. If, as rumored, the Kings took Bagley because they already had De’Aaron Fox and didn’t want another ball-dominant player, well, it could go down as a “Portland didn’t take Michael Jordan because they had Clyde Drexler” level of draft miss. The Kings’ drafting and player development has been an organizational issue for years, and the team is about to miss the playoffs for the 14th straight season because of it.
Bagley showed promise as a rookie in the Kings’ uptempo system but hasn’t been able to stay healthy and on the court this time around. Hopefully, he can next season.