‘It’s always tough not playing’: When will Marvin Bagley III return to Kings’ rotation?
It’s not yet known when rookie forward Marvin Bagley III could return to the court, but it didn’t happen Monday, when the Kings lost to the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena.
Bagley was ruled out for the second stop on Sacramento’s four-game East Coast trip, but he will be listed as day-to-day going forward, the team announced.
He missed his fifth consecutive after suffering a sprained left knee during an overtime home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 27. Despite being cleared on Saturday to resume basketball activities, Kings coach Dave Joerger said Monday that Bagley is not practicing with the team yet.
Bagley is averaging 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds in 47 games this season. When healthy, he has been a huge contributor over the second half of the season, averaging 17.1 points and 9.1 rebounds in his last 15 games.
For now, he’s enjoying cheering on his team as they battle for a playoff spot, but is eager to return to action.
“It’s always tough not playing. That’s what we signed up for: to play,” he said. “I’m trying to be the best teammate and best person I can be while I’m out, learning and being supportive to the guys who are playing.”
The Kings (33-33) will conclude their trip with a back-to-back set beginning Thursday against the Boston Celtics and ending Friday at the Philadelphia 76ers. Sacramento then returns home for a four-game home stand against the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.
This story was originally published March 11, 2019 at 8:34 AM.
