Less than two minutes into Monday night’s game against Memphis, Sacraemento’s sharpshooting guard Kevin Huerter suffered a shoulder injury and left the game (he sat out the Kings’ Wednesday night showdown).
An MRI revealed Huerter suffered a dislocated shoulder and labral tear, the team announced. A labral tear is a tear of the cup of cartilage that supports the shoulder ball-and-socket joint.
Sacramento’s announcement said, “Treatment options are still being evaluated. Huerter will be listed as out.” In reality, it is highly unlikely Huerter returns this season or for the playoffs. While there are non-surgical repairs for some torn labrums — it depends on the type of tear and where it is in the shoulder — even those take time to heal. Think of it this way, Ja Morant is out for the season because of a labral tear that required surgery.
Rookie defensive specialist Keon Ellis started for the Kings Wednesday night, and that likely continues for the season. Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner Malik Monk also should see more minutes.
The Kings will miss Huerter during a tight playoff race. Sacramento currently is the No. 6 seed in the West (avoiding the play-in) but is just half a game up on both surging Dallas and Phoenix. The Kings are two games back of the No. 5 seed Pelicans (who have been hot of late and will be difficult to catch).
