The Sacramento Kings have remote chances of making it to the NBA playoffs this season. That said, it may be in their best interest to sit out key players like Marvin Bagley III and preserve them moving forward. The 20-year-old forward has been slowed down by injuries, something that has limited his time on the basketball floor.
For the 2019-20 season, Bagley has played in only 13 games for the Kings. Per Basketball-Reference.com, he has averaged only 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds. Though these numbers are fairly close to his career averages, his durability is in question. Critics feel that Sacramento would best sit out the second overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft to spare him from possibly aggravating his thumb injury and incur new ones.
After a promising rookie year, Bagley has failed to follow up on that maiden year performance. Now, his ability to stay healthy is up in the air, most questioning his durability. Last season, the 6-foot-11 cager played in only 62 games due to a knee injury. Looking ahead, the Kings may need to manage Bagley's time on the floor to get the most out of him.
With the current NBA season good as gone, the best the Kings can do is sit him out for the rest of the season. Should they opt to play him, it may have to be in limited minutes. But a prerequisite to that is to make sure that the former Duke Blue Devil is 100-percent healthy. Similar to other players in the league on the mend, it would be foolish to play Bagley if he is not in tip-top shape.
In a recent interview Sean Cunningham of ABC 10, Bagley seemed uncertain about playing for the rest of the season. Though he has proven he is one of the players to watch, something seems to be a bit off as far as his overall health is concerned. If the Kings want to use him extensively, they need to figure out why Bagley has become prone to getting bitten by the injury bug.
For now, head coach Luke Walton may want to divert his attention to other players. De'Aaron Fox Buddy Hield, Harry Giles and newcomer Jabari Parker could hold up the fort for the meantime as the Kings try to figure out what the team lacks. The Kings boast of a youthful but inexperienced lineup. But given time, they could be one of the surprise teams in the NBA.
