‘Who knows?’ Kings aren’t sure when or if Marvin Bagley III will return this season
Kings forward Marvin Bagley III is expected to have his injured left foot reexamined after the All-Star break, but Bagley and general manager Vlade Divac acknowledged Saturday they don’t know when or if the young big man will return this season.
“I’m definitely going to try to come back this year, but that’s too far ahead at this point,” Bagley said. “The most important thing for me right now is to make sure I’m healthy, to make sure I take my time with this and make sure I’m feeling good so, when I do come back, it doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t linger again or go away and come back.”
Bagley, 20, was wearing a large black walking boot when he addressed the media in the Kings locker room following a 122-102 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. Bagley missed eight games with a midfoot sprain in late December and early January. He returned to play four games before aggravating the injury, which has caused him to miss the past nine games.
Bagley, the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, was asked for the first time Saturday if the injury might cause him to sit out the rest of the season.
“Honestly, who knows?” Bagley said. “I’m just going one day at a time with this. I’m trying not to think too far ahead. I obviously want to play. I want to be out there. It sucks. I’ve only played however many games this season over things I can’t control.”
Bagley missed 22 games with a broken thumb at the start of the season. He has appeared in only 13 games, averaging 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in 25.7 minutes per game.
“I’m staying positive,” Bagley said. “I’m thinking positive. I’m coming in every day, getting my treatment done, and we’ll see what happens.”
Divac was also asked about the possibility of Bagley missing the rest of the season. Divac said the team will be cautious but will not continue to hold Bagley out once he’s healthy.
“I hope not,” Divac said. “We’ve got to be very cautious about it … but Marvin, as long as he’s 100 percent, we’re not going to push it back.”
Bagley has been hounded by negativity on the internet due in part to his ongoing injury issues. He recently deactivated his social media accounts.
“It’s something I did on my own,” Bagley said. “It was a decision I made. It’s been working. Slowly getting back on Instagram, but it’s a decision I made and I’m happy with what I did. I’m just testing things out and seeing how it is. I’m so used to having it. I’ve had it as long as I can remember, just on it all the time, so (to) kind of clear my mind and kind of getting off of it feels pretty good — keeping me occupied in other ways rather than being on my phone and scrolling on Instagram and Twitter and all that crap all day.”
Kings upcoming schedule
Feb. 10 at Milwaukee, 5 p.m.
Feb. 12 at Dallas, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 20 vs. Memphis, 7 p.m.
Feb. 22 at Los Angeles Clippers, 12:30 p.m.
Feb. 25 at Golden State, 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published February 9, 2020 at 11:03 AM.
