The injury train continues its long, destructive trip through the Sacramento Kings' roster, this time taking out Drew Eubanks. With him sidelined, the Kings called up rookie Dylan Cardwell from the G League to help fill the gap. He didn't end up playing, but he was there in case he was needed.
Eubanks joined the roster in the wake of the Jonas Valanciunas trade. With him gone, there was a need for a backup for starting center Domantas Sabonis. Eubanks is a solid rebounder and scorer, and is reasonably good on defense. He wasn't a bad choice to fill that void over the past few weeks.
When Sabonis went down injured a couple of weeks ago, Eubanks subbed in as the starting center, and rookie Maxime Raynaud became the backup. While Raynaud stepped up in a big way, Eubanks didn't really settle into the starting role. As such, the Kings pulled a timely switcheroo.
Raynaud has continued as the starting center and is doing quite well. Eubanks was the backup center, again, until his injury. During their recent abysmal loss to the Nuggets, he sustained a left thumb avulsion fracture, which honestly sounds horrible. He'll be out for a few weeks at the very least.
Dylan Cardwell returns to the Sacramento roster
After the 2025 NBA Draft was over, the Sacramento Kings picked up Dylan Cardwell. The rookie played well in the preseason, but needed some more development in the G League. He's been there since the beginning of the Stockton Kings' season and is putting down serious numbers.
Cardwell has started all 12 games for Stockton and is averaging 28.7 minutes per game. On top of that, he's averaging a double-double with 11 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.1 steals, and two blocks. These are respectable numbers by anyone's standards.
With Eubanks out, Raynaud remains the starter, and Precious Achiuwa essentially became the backup. Naturally, Dario Saric stays on the bench as that is apparently his only role with the team. So, the Kings brought Cardwell in just in case they needed to get another center on the court.
Dylan Cardwell might not have gotten the chance to play yesterday, but just seeing him on the bench was good. Since Eubanks is going to be out a while, Dylan will get his opportunity. What's important is that Saric continues to ride the bench, as putting him on the court might cause a natural disaster.