Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic could finally make his 2018-19 season debut against the Toronto Raptors, though the team remains cautious about his condition.
Bogdanovic has been sidelined for the Kings since undergoing a left knee procedure late in September. He had arthroscopic surgery in April to repair a slight medial meniscus tear, but he had to undergo a second procedure after re-injuring the same knee in a World Cup qualifier for Serbia.
The 26-year-old guard, however, is nearing his return as he practiced with the team in Tuesday. According to Kings head coach Dave Joerger, they will make a decision on Bogdanovic's availability before Wednesday's game versus the Raptors, per Jason Jones of The Athletic.
Dave Joerger says a decision on Bogdanovic‘ availability will be made tomorrow. He did practice today and had targeted tomorrow’s game to try return from offseason knee surgery.
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) November 6, 2018
Bogdanovic averaged 11.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 78 games (53 starts) for the Kings last season. He made the All-Rookie second team and even won MVP in the Rising Stars Challenge after leading Team World over Team USA during All-Star Weekend.
The second-year-guard said he's now ready to play for the Kings, but he played down expectations on his return and said the team could instead opt to play him on Friday or Saturday.
“I feel like 10 days ago I (was) ready to play. But I'm still waiting for a green light. So we'll see if it's going to be the next game, I'm not sure,” Bogdanovic told Jones.
“Mentally I feel like I'm 100%, but they don't want any setbacks, in-season especially, that's why they've tried to save me. We'll see.”
The Kings are currently sixth with a 6-4 record in the ultra-tough Western Conference. It remains to be seen how Bogdanovic will fit in with the team, particularly with their new run-and-gun game, but his return will undoubtedly be a welcome addition to a team still needing depth.
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