Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III is nearing a return to the court after missing nearly a month with a broken thumb. The Kings initially thought Bagley would be out four to six weeks, but Wednesday will be the four-week mark in his recovery, which would line him up to swiftly bounce back from the injury.
Bagley is set to be re-evaluated Wednesday before the team decides to take the next steps. Head coach Luke Walton warned there might still be some more time to wait, depending on how his body recovers:
“Once he’s cleared, we have to get him on the practice court,” said Walton, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “I’ve played with players like Kobe (Bryant) who miss four weeks and they come back and they’re ready to go at a high level. And then I’ve been a player where, if I missed four weeks, I need another four weeks just to be able to run with everybody. It’s different for everybody.”
The Kings started their season 0-5 after Bagley went down to injury after colliding with Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton in the final minutes of a 29-point loss during an Oct. 23 season opener. Since then, Walton replaced Bagley with stretch 4 Nemanja Bjelica and moved Richaun Holmes into the starting lineup ahead of Dewayne Dedmon, their three-year, $40 million man who replaced Willie Cauley-Stein in free agency.
Sacramento has bounced back to win six of its last eight games, even with De'Aaron Fox recently sidelined as well, now with a 6-7 mark that puts them right back in contention for a playoff spot. Should Bagley return soon, it will only be more firepower added to a lineup that is slowly but surely taking shape under their new coach.
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