Sacramento Kings rookie Marvin Bagley III will miss at least two more weeks as he recovers from a bone bruise in his left knee. Bagley injured his knee on December 14th against the Golden State Warriors and was originally given a timeline of 10-14 days before he’d be re-evaluated. The news is disappointing, but it’s worth noting that there’s no indication of any sort of setback, simply that the original injury still needs more time.

The Sacramento Kings are being understandably cautious with Bagley, who they selected with the second overall pick this summer. Bagley’s game relies on athleticism and his famous second jump. It would be unwise to rush Bagley back to action and risk a more serious injury that could impact his long-term prospects as a player.

Bagley’s absence has highlighted just how important he has been to the Kings. The team has missed his spark of energy off the bench, his rebounding, and his scoring ability. Marvin has been averaging 12.7 points and 6.1 rebounds in 23 minutes per game.

Another two weeks means Bagley would be back no earlier than Sacramento’s January 14th matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Kings have a mixed schedule over the next two weeks. They’re finishing up a tough stretch with another game against the Lakers on Sunday, followed by games against the Blazers, Nuggets and Warriors. After that the Kings schedule softens a bit as they face the Magic, Suns, Pistons, and Hornets.