Marvin Bagley III Sustains Bone Bruise, To Sit Out 3-4 Weeks

Detroit Pistons power forward Marvin Bagley III sustained a bone bruise and sprained MCL that will keep him out for three to four weeks.

Not even a minute has gone by in their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder when Detroit Pistons big man Marvin Bagley III exited the contest. While defending a transition attack from the Thunder, Bagley slipped on a wet spot inside the paint, and he awkwardly fell to the floor. The even more concerning matter is he immediately grabbed his right knee, a fearsome sight for any Pistons fan. Thankfully, it seems that Bagley has avoided a more serious injury, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski recently reported that the Pistons forward will only miss three to four weeks due to a bone bruise and sprained MCL in his right knee.

Non-contact knee injuries have always been a scary sight for athletes, as it almost always results in a long recovery period. Avoiding a serious injury is a sigh of relief, but this is still an unfortunate development for Bagley, who many analysts expected to continue improving in his second year with the Pistons. Selected as the second overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Bagley’s early career with the Sacramento Kings didn’t flourish and he found himself shipped to Detroit last season.

In 18 games for the Pistons, the left-handed combo big man put up 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds, while also averaging a career-high 27.2 minutes. He showed a lot of potential on both ends of the floor, increasing his field goal efficiency and improving his work as a defender. 

On top of that, Marvin Bagley III is only 23 years of age, so his timeline is right there with the Pistons’ pool of young, talented players — a list that included Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Killian hayes, and Isaiah Stewart. Bagley’s versatility in the frontcourt is much-needed for this young Pistons squad, so all hopes are on his quick recovery from his knee injury.