Kings rookie shooting guard Malachi Richardson will miss approximately 4-6 weeks with a partial thickness tear of his right hamstring, according to team press release.
The injury, which Richardson suffered late in the fourth quarter against the Warriors on Wednesday, was diagnosed after an MRI was performed on Thursday.
The No. 22 overall pick in last June’s draft was selected by the Hornets, then shipped to the Kings in exchange for veteran guard Marco Belinelli.
This is yet another injury-related setback for the Kings, who lost second-leading scorer Rudy Gay to a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture last month. Richardson’s playing time had perked up since Gay’s injury, as he appeared in the last 16 games. He played a season-high 27 minutes against Golden State, posting 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists. He scored a season-high 12 points in 14 minutes against the Cavaliers on January 25th.
Overall, Richard is averaging 3.6 PPG and 1.0 RPG in 10.6 minutes over 22 games.
This leaves the Kings even thinner at the wing positions. Garrett Temple has been sidelined this month with a partially-torn hamstring. Sacramento will have to lean more heavily on Arron Afflalo, Ben McLemore, Matt Barnes and perhaps Omri Casspi in the interim, though Casspi has been hampered by a calf injury.
The wave of injuries could force the club to make a depth-related move before the trade deadline. The Kings entered Thursday 1 1/2 games behind the Nuggets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Wow what a buzz. I really enjoy watching him play his escape dribble pull up is nice.