NBA: Pistons’ Marvin Bagley III injures knee

FILE – Marvin Bagley III #35 of the Detroit Pistons is defended by Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on March 29, 2022 in New York City. Mike Stobe/Getty Images/AFP

Pistons forward/center Marvin Bagley III had to be helped to the locker room after injuring his knee during Detroit’s preseason game against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

Yahoo Sports reported that Bagley would undergo an MRI exam on Wednesday.

Bagley was attempting to prevent Thunder forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl from driving down the lane when he slipped near the restricted area and immediately grabbed at his right knee with 11:14 left in the first quarter. He couldn’t put any pressure on his right leg, and teammates Buddy Boeheim and Isaiah Stewart helped him off the floor.

Bagley, 23, is set to enter his first full season with the Pistons. He appeared in 18 games (eight starts) during the 2021-22 campaign after Detroit acquired him in a trade with the Sacramento Kings, where Bagley spent the first three-plus seasons of his career.

In 166 career games (77 starts), Bagley is averaging 13.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists while shooting 50.1 percent from the field.

He is slated to be an important bench piece for the Pistons down low after Detroit traded forward/center Kelly Olynyk and guard Saben Lee to the Utah Jazz in exchange for veteran forward Bojan Bogdanovic in September.

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