Kings' Marvin Bagley III Won't Play in NBA Restart Because of Foot Injury
The Sacramento Kings' chase for the postseason suffered another setback Tuesday night.
The team announced that forward Marvin Bagley III will not be available for the NBA restart, according to James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area.
The Kings are holding Bagley out as he continues to recover from a right foot injury that he suffered during practice Sunday.
The 21-year-old is expected to need a walking boot for at least two weeks, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, and the team felt it didn't make sense to bring him back even in a best-case scenario.
Sacramento is currently tied with the Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans at 3.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference with eight games to play. The loss of Bagley hurts the club's chances of catching Memphis, although his absence isn't unfamiliar territory.
The Duke product played only 13 games this season after he suffered a fracture in his right thumb during the season opener, kicking off an injury-laden campaign.
The 2018 No. 2 overall pick had been practicing with the Kings in Orlando, Florida in preparation for the restart when he suffered a lateral sprain in his right foot. An MRI on Monday confirmed the injury.
Back in December, Bagley suffered a left foot sprain eight games after he returned from the thumb injury, forcing him back to the sidelines.
He ends his second season averaging 14.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 25.7 minutes per game.
The Kings resume their season on July 30 against the Utah Jazz at 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
