The Sacramento Kings dropped another tight game, this time to the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately, it ended with Maxime Raynaud on crutches and Darius Acuff limping off the court. There are still two preseason games left, and the injury bug has already left a mark on Sactown.
Anyone who was watching the Kings last season knows exactly how bad their injury losses got, as well as how early in the season it started. The problems began with Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis sustaining injuries in the preseason. Sabonis was back soon, while Murray took longer.
In the end, Sabonis, Murray, Zach LaVine, De'Andre Hunter, and Drew Eubanks were all ruled out for large portions of the season. That doesn't even count all the minor and short-term injuries that kept various players off the court. Not surprisingly, fans hoped this season would be different.
Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. Raynaud was taken off the court in a wheelchair in the second quarter with a right knee injury. Acuff's situation didn't appear to be as bad. He was limping towards the end of the game as well as after it.
If the Kings didn't have bad luck, they'd have no luck at all
In the case of Acuff, it's hopefully nothing serious. Sacramento can rest him for the last couple of preseason games and give other players some minutes. There's no sense in risking his health before the regular season has started. Acuff is a huge part of what the coaching staff is strategizing.
The Raynaud situation looks much worse. He was clutching his knee and was in obvious pain. Credit has to go to Ben Simmons for sticking by Raynaud's side and escorting him to the back. The concern now is how bad the injury is, and what the potential recovery time is going to look like.
Sacramento has no shortage of centers and power forwards, so they can certainly manage without Raynaud for now. More importantly than that, Raynaud is in a key phase of his development process. He had a breakout rookie season and needs a good sophomore season to find his next gear.
This setback doesn't mean his career or his growth are completely off track. But it remains an issue both for his personal development and the overall rebuild of the Kings. For now, the focus will be on Sabonis, Dylan Cardwell, and Precious Achiuwa at the five. Beyond that, fans will have to wait.
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