The Sacramento Kings are locked in a tight race in the Western Conference to avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament. Alas, their path to securing one of the top-six seeds in the conference became harder to navigate on Monday night.
Not even two minutes into their matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, starting shooting guard Kevin Huerter was going up for a layup when he was contacted by Desmond Bane. Huerter remained on the ground momentarily, in visible pain.
He was taken to the locker room and did not return to the game. Now, we know exactly what he is dealing with. According to ESPN’s News Services, Huerter is going to be sidelined with a dislocated left shoulder and laberal tear.
On Thursday, the Kings revealed that different options are being evaluated as they figure out the best way to move forward. Until they can decide that, a time frame for when he can return to the lineup is unknown.
In the first game without Huerter in the lineup, the Kings suffered an abysmal loss to the lowly Washington Wizards. Sacramento was on the road and dropped the contest 109-102, which caused them to sink multiple spots in the standings.
As things currently stand, the Kings are in 8th place in the Western Conference, which would result in a road game in the first NBA Play-In Tournament matchup. They are currently a half-game behind both the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns, who are tied with records of 41-29.
Huerter’s production this season has slipped from his first campaign with the Kings, as his role has shrunk. He is playing fewer minutes, but his performance hasn’t warranted receiving as much playing time as he did during the 2022-23 NBA regular season.
After knocking down 40.2 percent of his 3-point attempts last season, Huerter has dropped to 36.1 percent this season. That would be quite a fall from grace for the Maryland product, as last season was his career-high in the NBA and this season would be his career-low.
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