Sacramento Kings lose guard Kevin Huerter to injury in game against Memphis Grizzlies

The Kings lost Kevin Huerter to a shoulder injury in the early stages of Monday’s 121-111 overtime victory against the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

Huerter went down after being fouled by Desmond Bane with 10:09 to play in the first quarter. Huerter was attempting a layup when Bane swiped down at the ball, instead striking Huerter’s left wrist or forearm.

Huerter went down under the basket in obvious pain. Sacramento’s starting shooting guard remained down for a few minutes while receiving attention from the team’s medical staff.

Huerter was eventually helped to his feet. He appeared to be holding his left wrist as he was escorted back to the locker room for further treatment. The Kings later announced Huerter would not return due to a left shoulder injury.

Keon Ellis came on to replace Huerter and started in his place to begin the second half. Ellis finished with five points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and five blocked shots.

Kings coach Mike Brown didn’t have an update on Huerter immediately after the game, but he said Ellis will be part of the starting lineup if Huerter misses additional games. Ellis, an undrafted second-year player from Alabama who recently had his two-way contract converted to a standard NBA deal, is 6-0 as a starter this season.

“We started Keon in the second half and he’ll continue to start until Kev gets back and/or we want to go another direction,” Brown said.

Huerter, 25, is a six-year veteran who came out of Maryland as the 19^th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He spent four seasons with the Atlanta Hawks before the Kings acquired him in a July 2022 trade.

Huerter is averaging 10.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his second season with the Kings. He averaged 15.2 points while shooting 40.2% from 3-point range last season, playing an instrumental role in helping the Kings end the longest playoff drought in NBA history.