The silver lining after Marvin Bagley III's preseason knee injury

Many feared the worst after Marvin Bagley III injured his knee on a non-contact play, but the injury may not be serious as once thought.

Many feared the worst after Marvin Bagley III injured his knee on a non-contact play during the Detroit Pistons' preseason game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Bagley slipped as he was running down the court on defense and he proceeded to buckle his knee, immediately falling to the ground in pain. However, it seems as if the injury he suffered is not as serious as initially thought.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, while Marvin Bagley will still miss the start of the 2022-23 season, an MRI revealed that he avoided a major injury such as a Torn ACL, which is good news for everyone involved.

Wojnarowski wrote: “MRI on the right knee of Detroit Pistons F Marvin Bagley III reveals that he will miss time to start the season, but there's relief that he's avoided a serious injury, sources tell ESPN.”

To further quell Pistons fans' concerns, James L. Edwards III, beat writer for The Athletic, added that Bagley will not be requiring surgery, even if he is expected to miss the next three to four weeks at the very least.

“Marvin Bagley III will for sure be out the next 3-4 weeks minimum. No surgery required as of now. Rest and rehab,” Edwards tweeted.

This is not Marvin Bagley III's first rodeo with injury woes. A quick glance at his considerable injury history shows that he has dealt with past issues to his ankle, knee, foot, and wrist, causing him to miss 142 out of a possible 312 games over the past four years. For all the talk of Bagley being a bust relative to his draft position, injuries have certainly played a huge part in dimming Bagley's star.

While Bagley's stock has dipped ever since his impressive rookie season with the Sacramento Kings, the Pistons clearly value the 23-year old's potential. He was signed to a three-year, $37.5 million deal in the offseason, a solid investment for the Pistons as they look to build around their young core led by Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.

In 18 games last season with Detroit, Marvin Bagley III averaged 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in 27.2 minutes per game, comparable stats to his rookie year with the Kings. Bagley would have provided stiff competition for Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren in the frontcourt, but those two will now have to step up with the looming absence of the left-handed highflyer.