As the Sacramento Kings have lost the last 15 games, the team now experiences more bad news regarding the eye injury to star forward De'Andre Hunter. With Hunter missing time with the Kings with an eye injury, the latest reporting suggests that he will miss significant time.
According to NBA insiders Chris Haynes and Marc Stein, Hunter “will undergo season-ending eye surgery,” shutting him down for Sacramento, having only played two games with the team after being traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers at the deadline.
“BREAKING: Sacramento Kings forward De’Andre Hunter will undergo season-ending eye surgery, league sources tell [Marc Stein] and me,” Haynes wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
In terms of what he's dealing with exactly, it's been diagnosed as “iritis,” as he was hit in his left eye in last Feb. 6's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee reported that he would be reevaluated in 10 days, with the ultimate conclusion being to go with the season-ending surgery.
“Sacramento Kings forward De’Andre Hunter has been diagnosed with iritis after taking a blow to his left eye in Friday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. He will be reevaluated in about 10 days,” Anderson wrote on X on Feb. 8.
This is a profound change of pace from how Hunter was speaking about his progress going well, almost speaking like a return could've been imminent.
“It's not all the way there yet, but it's definitely a lot better than it was,” Hunter said, according to Sports Illustrated on Thursday. “I'm able to actually play and train and stuff like that, so it's progressing really well.”
At any rate, Hunter looks to be fully healthy for next season and will contribute to the Kings.
