As he fell to the ground and gripped his right knee, Marvin Bagley III couldn’t help but fear the worst.
Early in the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder last Tuesday, Bagley slipped on the foot of rookie forward Jalen Williams while getting back on defense. His right leg bent at an awkward angle, and he couldn’t put any pressure on it as his teammates helped him off of the floor.
Non-contact knee injuries conjure fears of ACL tears, which carry a lengthy recovery period and can often be career-changing.
Bagley and the Detroit Pistons were lucky, as an MRI last Wednesday revealed a sprained right MCL and bone bruise. He will be re-evaluated in three-to-four weeks, positioning him to return in mid-November barring any setbacks. Bagley was in good spirits when he addressed the media after Sunday’s practice.
While he’ll miss the first few weeks of the season, his goals remain in front of him.
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“All types of stuff ran through my mind,” Bagley said. “It was something I couldn’t have really prevented. It happened so fast, that feeling I’d never felt before. Getting up, not being able to put pressure on it, it was a little scary for me. God had His hands on me, had His arms around me. That’s all I can ask for.
“It happened so fast, a freak thing I couldn’t do nothing about,” he continued. “I’m glad it wasn’t nothing serious and I’m able to still be here and still be in the gym, still walk and do all the things that I can do.”
Bagley is positioned for a big role this season after emerging as one of Detroit’s go-to scorers last season, averaging 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in 18 games after the trade deadline. Replacing his production will be difficult; none of the Pistons’ other big men combine his athleticism and touch in the paint. He started two preseason games, including Tuesday’s game against the Thunder.
Isaiah Stewart, who made 7 of 18 3-point attempts across the four exhibitions, could replace some of Bagley’s scoring, albeit in a different way. While Bagley is a better lob threat and finisher around the rim, Stewart has been given the green light to take multiple 3-pointers a game.
“He’s done it all summer, and I don’t know why he’d stop now,” Dwane Casey said of Stewart’s accuracy from outside. “He just has to continue to feel the defense, read the defense and let the defense dictate his role on pops, because we still have to have pressure on the rim.”
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Rookie Jalen Duren, who grabbed 36 rebounds in three preseason games, could see a role increase as well. He can duplicate Bagley’s role as a lob threat and rim roller, though he has strides to make to completely replace Bagley’s offensive role. Nerlens Noel will also factor into Detroit’s rotation, but it’s unclear when he’ll make his season debut as he continues to work his way back from plantar fasciitis. He missed all four preseason games and has yet to participate in a full practice during training camp.
Bagley is already starting to feel better. His injury won’t require surgery, and he’s been receiving stem-cell treatment on his knee to encourage his recovery. The Pistons will have to figure out their big man rotation in the meantime.
“I want to play, I hate watching practices and watching games,” Bagley said. “I want to be out there with the guys and going to war with them. It’s tough. At the same time, like you said it’s a long season. We haven’t even started playing in regular season yet. At the same time it’s about making sure I get my knee to a point where I’m comfortable cutting, comfortable jumping and playing how I normally play and feeling good without even thinking about it. Once I get to that point, I’ll be ready to play and get back out there with the guys. Until then it’s about staying positive, being a good teammate even when I’m out and keep continuing to push for it every day.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa.