Detroit — Pistons fans can exhale now that there’s a clearer idea of the injury to Marvin Bagley III’s right knee.
An MRI performed on Wednesday revealed that the 6-foot-11 forward suffered a bone bruise and a sprained MCL in his right knee, according to a statement from the team. He’s expected to miss the next three to four weeks, with rest and rehab.
Bagley suffered the injury during the first minute of Detroit’s 115-99 loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday.
The good news for the Pistons and Bagley is that the knee injury isn’t more serious and will not require surgery.
The timeline takes Bagley out of action for the start of the regular season. The end of the four-week timeline lines up with the Pistons’ short road trip to Boston and New York from Nov. 9-11.
Bagley awkwardly slipped on the foot of Thunder forward Jalen Williams on Tuesday and clutched his knee before he was helped off the floor by teammates. He did not return to the game.
Before the injury, Bagley averaged 4.0 points and 4.0 rebounds on 54% shooting from the field through the Pistons’ first two preseason games.
Last season, Bagley injured his left ankle shortly after the Pistons acquired him from the Sacramento Kings in February. He averaged 14.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 18 games with the Pistons in 2021-22.
mcurtis@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @MikeACurtis2