Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III had a stellar rookie season cut short due to injury, and he opened the 2019-20 season in similar fashion.
Bagley suffered a broken right thumb during the season opener and was said to be out for the next four to six weeks. However, the second-year man admitted that he is still unclear as to when he will be able to return.
Marvin Bagley said there is still no timetable for his return, but he's putting in work while recovering from a broken right thumb. Wednesday will be the 3 week mark of a 4-6 week injury window. Sounds like he's still 2 weeks out.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) November 10, 2019
The No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft averaged 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds in 62 games as a rookie, putting together per-36 minute averages of 21.2 points and 10.8 boards.
Sacramento had hoped Bagley would be able to build on his rookie campaign alongside the growth of point guard De'Aaron Fox, but the thumb injury has provided an early setback.
The Kings have had more than their fair share of setbacks. Sacramento began the season 0-5, and head coach Luke Walton was under fire early after general manager Vlade Divac hired him to replace Dave Joerger.
However, the Kings have shown some life as of late, winning three of their last four and just narrowly falling to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
Fox and shooting guard Buddy Hield have rebounded from slow starts, and Richaun Holmes has become a reliable option around the rim while protecting the paint on the other end.
Nevertheless, the Kings lack inside scoring. Holmes needs to be set up at the basket, and Dewayne Dedmon is usually on the floor to provide toughness and rebounding.
Bagley can work on the perimeter and make plays in the pick-and-roll while also displaying some excellent footwork on the block. The Kings hope that he starts to feel healthy again with that initial timetable rapidly approaching.
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