Does Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter have a season-ending injury? Here’s what we know
The Kings quietly added Kevin Huerter to their injury report Tuesday without providing additional information regarding a timetable for his return.
Huerter was diagnosed with a dislocated left shoulder after being fouled by Desmond Bane in the first quarter of Monday’s overtime win against the Memphis Grizzlies. Huerter has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors as the Kings prepare to open a three-game road trip at Scotiabank Arena, but this is just the beginning of what could be a lengthy absence.
The Kings are likely seeking additional medical opinions and treatment options, but with less than four weeks remaining in the regular season, this could be a season-ending injury for the 25-year-old guard from Maryland. The timing of the injury is unfortunate for Huerter and the Kings (39-28), who are sixth in the Western Conference, percentage points ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for the final automatic playoff berth.
Forward Sasha Vezenkov has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game and seems to be nearing a return after missing more than five weeks with a right ankle sprain. Vezenkov’s return would be a positive development for a team that is missing Trey Lyles due to a left knee sprain, but the most immediate concern for the Kings is the loss of their starting shooting guard.
A study published by the National Library of Medicine in 2020 showed NBA players who sustained a shoulder subluxation returned to competition after an average of 3.6 weeks. Those who suffered a shoulder dislocation returned after an average of 7.6 weeks. Players who underwent surgery to repair shoulder instability were sidelined for an average of 19 weeks.
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry missed four weeks with a left shoulder subluxation earlier this season, but Huerter’s injury is being described as a dislocation. New York Knicks star Julius Randle is ramping up to a return after missing almost eight weeks with a right shoulder dislocation.
A four-week recovery would allow Huerter to return just before the start of the NBA playoffs on April 20. An eight-week recovery would prevent him from returning until May 13. The conference semifinals are scheduled to begin May 6-7 with the conference finals set to begin May 21-22.
Kings coach Mike Brown has already confirmed he will start Keon Ellis with Huerter out of the lineup. Ellis came on to replace Huerter and started the second half in Monday’s game against the Grizzlies.
Ellis, an undrafted second-year player out of Alabama, recently had his two-way contract converted to a standard NBA deal. He is 6-0 as a starter this season.
“We started Keon in the second half and he’ll continue to start until Kev gets back and/or we want to go another direction,” Brown said.
Over the past eight games, Ellis is averaging 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks while shooting 55.9% from the field and 50% from 3-point range.
“Obviously, with this team, it’s always next-man up mentality,” Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox said. “We have to be ready to play without Kev if it is some type of long-term thing, and I think everybody is confident in Keon. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, the minutes he’s been providing the last few games, especially since he’s been back in the rotation, have been great.”
Huerter is a six-year veteran who came out of Maryland as the 19th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He spent four seasons with the Atlanta Hawks before the Kings acquired him in a July 2022 trade.
Huerter is averaging 10.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his second season with the Kings. He averaged 15.2 points while shooting 40.2% from 3-point range last season, playing an instrumental role in helping the Kings end the longest playoff drought in NBA history.
