NBA’s Third Leading Scorer, Kings’ Kevin Martin Likely Out 6-8 Weeks With Wrist Fracture

The Sacramento Kings have been one of the league’s most surprising teams, and they’ve been doing it all without Kevin Martin, who was sidelined in early November with a fractured wrist. Many have said that Martin’s absence in part helped the Kings because it fast-tracked Tyreke Evans development, even though Martin was the third-leading scorer in the league when he got hurt.

We’ll be able to find out the answer to that issue for real now, because Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee is reporting that Martin will be back in the Kings’ lineup when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers Friday. Amick reports that Martin will start alongside Evans in the backcourt.

Confirming what was widely suspected, Kings guard Kevin Martin will be sidelined due to his fractured wrist, according to a report from Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee.

At this point it is unclear whether Martin will opt for surgery or merely have his wrist put in a cast. Obviously, which treatment he chooses will determine how much time he will miss. We’ll have more information on Martin’s status as it becomes available.

Perhaps preempting a backlash from Sacramento Kings fans, Sactown Royalty offers this reminder about Martin’s longterm place with the team:

So, yeah: if he misses a few weeks, it’ll hurt, but in the long run, it’s a matter of protecting an investment that the Kings are tied to for several years, not weeks.

Over at SB Nation’s Sactown Royalty, Tom Ziller explains that no matter what Kevin Martin decides, he’ll wind up suffering:

From the Sacramento Bee:

The past few years have seen some pretty dire straits in Sacramento--but even then, through all the turmoil, Kevin Martin’s remained a shining light of hope, givning Kings fans someone to cherish. Now, they’ll have to look elsewhere for inspiration, and it could be a gloomy couple of weeks in Sactown. We’ll have more as news emerges, but for now, it’s cruel news to a franchise that’s already sputtering.