2 Kings injured before training camp

After being hit by injury bugs during their late playoff push last season, the Sacramento Kings have already encountered a hurdle heading into training camp.

The Kings have announced that Trey Lyles suffered a left groin strain and Jordan McLaughlin suffered a Grade 2 right ankle sprain, both during offseason workouts.

Lyles will be reassessed in about three weeks, McLaughlin in two. Both players will miss the start of training camp, if not all of it.

Last season, Lyles missed 24 games due to injury, including the first 13 contests of the year. With a severe lack of offensive depth in Sacramento, the Kings cannot afford to lose valuable pieces for an extended period of time.

McLaughlin, whom the Kings signed in free agency this offseason, has been brought in as a valuable backup point guard to De’Aaron Fox, especially while rookie Devin Carter recovers from shoulder surgery.

Now that Kevin Huerter, Carter, McLaughlin and Lyles are all likely to miss training camp, other players in the Sacramento locker room will have to step in. With Lyles likely to miss training camp and the start of the preseason, Jalen McDaniels or undrafted rookie Isaiah Crawford could make the most of the opportunity.

As for the McLaughlin injury, we could see sophomore guard Colby Jones get some backup point guard reps in training camp or undrafted rookie Boogie Ellis capitalize on his position.

While it’s a downer to see a spate of injuries before training camp, it could open the door for Sacramento’s young core to improve.

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