During the Detroit Pistons’ 115-99 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday evening, fifth-year big man Marvin Bagley III slipped on the court during the opening minute, suffered a non-contact right knee injury, and was helped off the floor. Roughly 20 minutes later, Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes reported that Bagley would not return.
Any non-contact injury, especially to the lower body, elicits considerable concern and Bagley was no different. Fortunately, he’s seemingly avoided a long-term or season-ending injury. According to Haynes, the 23-year-old has been diagnosed with a bone bruise and sprained MCL. He will be out for 3-4 weeks.
An MRI on Detroit Pistons forward Marvin Bagley III revealed a bone bruise and sprained (MCL) in his right knee and he’ll be sidelined for 3-4 weeks.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 12, 2022
Following his trade from the Sacramento Kings to Detroit last February, Bagley flourished in his 18 appearances with the Pistons. He averaged 14.6 points (58.5 percent true shooting), 6.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists across 27.2 minutes per game. His arrival provided Detroit, namely rookie sensation Cade Cunningham, with a necessary lob threat inside. That duo thrived together, often linking up through ball-screens or on Cunningham’s drives. In his first two preseason games, Bagley averaged six points and six rebounds in 19.5 minutes a night.
He’ll presumably return sometime in early or mid-November, hopefully with a clean bill of health ready to build upon his promising late-season run and help further advance Detroit’s youth movement.
