Rudy Gay Injury: Updates on Kings Star's Shoulder and Return

Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay exited on Nov. 19 against the Miami Heat with a shoulder injury that an MRI revealed to be a strain, keeping him out of the lineup for one game. However, he is ready to return.

Continue for updates. 

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Gay to Play vs. Hornets

Monday, Nov. 23

Gay told reporters at shootaround he's "good to play" against Charlotte.

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Analyzing Gay's Impact on Kings

Gay had 13 points and 12 rebounds in 25 minutes before exiting against the Heat. Heading into the game, he was averaging 17.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 44 percent from the field. 

The 29-year-old is one of the most prolific scorers on Sacramento's roster, averaging 21.1 points per game last year. He's a big part of the Kings' rebuilding process but did miss 14 games last season, including the last five with a concussion. 

The Kings are a team with a lot of interesting pieces, such as Gay, DeMarcus Cousins and rookie Willie Cauley-Stein, but the franchise has been unable to make everything work as a cohesive whole. 

Kings head coach George Karl has a knack for getting the most out of his offensive weapons, which is easier to do with a high-percentage shooter at point guard such as Darren Collison and with Cousins in the paint. 

Gay is the engine that makes the machine go, leading the team with 6.1 win shares last season, so his return will take pressure off of his teammates such as point guard Rajon Rondo to create things for the rest of the offense.