Marvin Bagley has been injured for a lot of the season. The Kings haven’t been very good. Are these two things related? On the surface, they almost have to be. Not many teams don’t get worse when you take away their recent 2nd overall pick.
I’m not so sure about the correlation (how many wins is someone like Bagley really going to add?), but for what it’s worth, I have seen Kings fans claim that his absence (and injuries in general) has contributed to yet another dismal season in Sacramento. I’m going to trust them on this. They would know, even if their eyes are partially blinded by the continued incompetence of their preferred franchise and the desperate hope that their top pick will develop into something that won’t make their decision to pass on Luka Doncic look like one of the stupidest things ever.
I mean, Bagley has scored in double figures every game he’s played this season. That’s undeniable production right there, whether you like it or not, and it’s production that doesn’t really come from anywhere else when he’s injured. Richaun Holmes can do some of the same stuff, but oh look, he’s injured too.