A Royal Pain
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Sacramento Kings: Breaking down Thursday’s biggest stories

By Jonathan Roberts

SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 27: Marvin Bagley III #35 of the Sacramento Kings falls to the floor holding his left knee after getting hurt against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Golden 1 Center on February 27, 2019 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 27: Marvin Bagley III #35 of the Sacramento Kings falls to the floor holding his left knee after getting hurt against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Golden 1 Center on February 27, 2019 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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As Sacramento Kings fans held their breath waiting for Marvin Bagley III’s MRI results, another important storyline, Corey Brewer’s re-signing, went under the radar.

Thursday was a heavy news day for the Sacramento Kings and their fans. While there were only two major stories floating around today, both carried a lot of weight as it pertains to the Sacramento Kings playoff chances.

Marvin Bagley III’s MRI results come back

Easily the biggest story of the day and perhaps the biggest of the season, Marvin Bagley III’s MRI results came back relatively clean after a scary incident in Wednesday’s game that left Kings fans fearing the worst.

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So, when news broke about the results at around 1:30 p.m., you could practically feel the giant, collective sign of relief from Kings fans. Bagley’s MRI showed a left knee sprain and while the severity wasn’t specified, he is expected to be re-evaluated in 1-2 weeks—a good sign for his possible return this season.

Still, losing Bagley for any amount of time could be disastrous for a Sacramento Kings team fighting for their playoff lives. Fortunately for the Kings, their schedule isn’t *that* difficult and they could potentially stay afloat—despite having a near guaranteed loss to the Los Angeles Clippers now on the docket for Friday night.

Aside from that game, however, the Kings will play the New Knicks and Boston Celtics at home before heading on a road-trip that’ll have them play the Knicks and Celtics again, with a date in Washington against the Wizards sandwiched between. None of these games are particularly daunting (expect for the Clippers game) and it’s entirely possible the Kings come out 3-3 or even 4-2.

Of course to have any chance of that happening, they’re going to need early season Nemanja Bjelica back and for Harry Giles to build of his strong performance Wednesday. Without Bagley, the power rotation doesn’t inspire any confidence.

Willie Cauley-Stein has been frustratingly inconsistent and has played himself out of any big-dollar contract extension in Sacramento (we think), Kosta Koufos is a reserve big not suited to play 20+ minutes on this team, Nemanja Bjelica has fallen drastically from his incredible play earlier this season and Giles has struggled to find his footing.

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As a result, the Kings will likely play a lot of small-ball with Harrison Barnes at power forward and Cauley-Stein at center. Bjelica will likely be the first big off the bench, but don’t be surprised if Giles gets that nod after his 18-point, seven-rebound, two-assist, and one block performance in just 17 minutes of action against a good Milwaukee Bucks team. Fielding a competitive small-ball rotation will be key for Head Coach Dave Joerger if the Sacramento Kings are to remain in the playoff picture with Bagley out.

Sacramento Kings sign Corey Brewer for rest of season

This is a much more important storyline than most might realize, especially as it’s being overshadowed (rightfully, so) by the Bagley injury news, so let’s break it down.

First off, Brewer has been excellent for the Kings in limited minutes since coming over after the trade deadline. He’s only appeared in three games, but he’s averaged just over 16 minutes in those contests, averaging eight points and one assist. The numbers aren’t flashy, but it’s about the depth he provides, he’s also been a plus-defender for most of his career and though his defensive stats in Sacramento aren’t pretty—that could be easily attributed to Sacramento not being a good defensive team to begin with.

On a deeper look, Brewer’s decision to stay in Sacramento could be indicative of the league-wide opinion of the Sacramento Kings changing. Brewer is a longtime NBA veteran who had multiple suitors outside of Sacramento vying to sign him, yet he chose to stay in Sacramento. Certainly money played a role (he signed for $2 million), but you can’t discount how much this newfound success has shaped how other players view Sacramento—it’s no longer the place where careers go to die.

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Getting Brewer to return is especially important if the Sacramento Kings are going to move to a more small-ball focused approach, as he could be in line for extra minutes with Marvin Bagley III out. Brewer is actually taller than Harrison Barnes and though he weighs significantly less, he could see extremely limited minutes at the four while also playing more of a role as a reserve small forward.

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