A Royal Pain
Fansided

Opinion: Playoffs Still There For Kings Even With Garrett Temple’s Injury

By Rafe Wong

Jan 10, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Ty Lawson (10) smiles with guard Garrett Temple (17) after a play against the Detroit Pistons during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Detroit Pistons 100-94. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Ty Lawson (10) smiles with guard Garrett Temple (17) after a play against the Detroit Pistons during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Detroit Pistons 100-94. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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You could hear a pin drop in the Sacramento Kings community when Garrett Temple went down with a leg injury last Tuesday night. The report is now out that Temple suffered a partially torn hamstring which will sideline him for the next 2-3 weeks.

For the season, Temple has been an asset for his team on both ends of the court, has been a team leader, and has been a fan favorite within the Sacramento community. He was also the anchor that has rejuvenated the two-guard position for the Kings this season.

Losing Temple will definitely hurt the Kings going forward, but in my opinion, it might be a slap on the wrist rather than a right hook to the face kind of pain.

Why?

The report says that Temple will be sidelined around 2-3 weeks, which indicates that Temple is expected to be back by the end of February. Because All-Star weekend takes place this February, the Kings only have 11 games scheduled for the month, nine of those games being in the Golden 1 Center.

In most cases, the injury towards Temple could cause Kings fans to raise the white flag for this season. But because Temple will only be absent from the Kings for 11 games (give and take), it lessens the blow a bit.

But just because Temple will be missing fewer games than expected for an injury of his kind, it doesn’t mean that the Kings can continue to be caught slipping. The Kings have an opportunity this month to capitalize in the playoff race. They will be facing seven opponents this month that has a .500 record or less, and again, nine games in front of their home crowd.

If the Kings are going to have a chance at postseason contention this season, they must showcase their fight this month. In my opinion, I think six wins is the minimum for Sacramento this month in order to keep their season alive.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Garrett Temple’s injury is a royal pain for the Kings, but the purple and white can still capitalize in the playoff race without him. Their schedule is fairly easy this month, and they won’t be missing Temple for many games due to the All-Star festivities that are coming up. But the Kings need to play better than they have previously in order to make it work.

The winning needs to start now, especially tonight as the Kings will be hosting the Phoenix Suns, a game that is definitely winnable for the Kings.

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