MRI confirms left hip flexor strain for Sacramento Kings center Hassan Whiteside
The Kings provided an injury update Wednesday for Hassan Whiteside, who missed the past two games due to left hip soreness.
The team said an MRI conducted Monday in Sacramento confirmed Whiteside is suffering from a strained left hip flexor. Whiteside’s status is considered day-to-day and his return to game action will be updated as appropriate, the Kings said.
The Kings (5-9) could use Whiteside’s defensive presence. They have lost three in a row and eight of 10 going into Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers (10-4). The Kings are giving up a league-high 123.6 points per game and have allowed more than 120 points in eight consecutive games.
Whiteside, 31, has appeared in nine games for the Kings in his ninth NBA season. He is averaging 6.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots in 12.7 minutes per game. The 7-foot center averaged 15.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks for the Portland Trail Blazers last season, leading the league in blocked shots.
Whiteside signed with the Kings in November on a one-year minimum deal for $2.32 million, returning to the team that drafted him out of Marshall with the 33rd pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. Whiteside had a disappointing run with the Kings over his first two seasons in the league but flourished with the Miami Heat after a couple of years overseas. He was an NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection in 2016 and the league’s leading rebounder in 2017. He led the league in blocks in 2016 and 2020.
