After watching Marvin Bagley III leave Wednesday’s game with a left knee injury, the Kings got some good news on Thursday. According to the team, an MRI didn’t show any major damage to Bagley’s knee, confirming the original diagnoses of a sprain. The rookie big man will be re-evaluated in about a week or two, per the announcement.
Bagley, who will turn 20 in March, has enjoyed a successful rookie year so far, averaging 13.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 1.0 BPG in 47 games (24.8 MPG). The former Duke star has played some of his best ball this month — in the five games before his injury, he was averaging 23.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG with a shooting line of .534/.444/.767.
While the Kings will miss Bagley during their playoff push, today’s announcement suggests that he could return in mid-March for the final month of the regular season. As long as he’s on the shelf, Willie Cauley-Stein, Nemanja Bjelica, and Harry Giles are among the players who could be leaned on more heavily. Kosta Koufos is also a candidate to re-enter the rotation, as he did during Bagley’s absence earlier in the season.
The Kings have an open spot on their roster which could be used to add another frontcourt player for depth, but I wouldn’t expect the team to rush out and make a move.
MBIII has had a great rookie season despite coming from the bench, I think there is no doubt he is gonna be a star of this league for many years to come, a real beast!