Sacramento Kings' Kevin Huerter to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery

Published Mar. 29, 2024 8:57 p.m. ET

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter will miss the rest of the season with a left shoulder injury, coach Mike Brown confirmed on Friday.

Huerter plans to undergo left shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum that he sustained on March 18 after taking contact from Memphis’ Desmond Bane on a drive to the basket. He dislocated his left shoulder on the play and had missed the last five games.

The 25-year-old has been averaging 10.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists this season, and has started 59 games.

Brown left open the possibility that Huerter might return in time if the Kings make a deep playoff run, and said Huerter will remain around the team and stay engaged.

“Him talking to guys, whether it’s on the bench, in practice, shootaround or off the floor, it's going to be huge,” Brown said. “He’s going to be around as much as he can.”

Huerter, in his second year with Sacramento after being acquired from the Atlanta Hawks in a trade in 2022, was coming off a career season last year when he averaged 15.2 points per game and shot 40.2% from 3-point range.

Huerter’s injury means Keon Ellis will take his place in the starting lineup for the rest of the season. Ellis, a second-year guard who has been starting in Huerter’s absence, has been averaging 4.4 points in just over 15 minutes a game this season.

“I’m not sure what his upside can be yet, which is pretty exciting because he’s such a young guy and and he gives you a lot of different areas already,” Brown said of Ellis.

Sacramento entered Friday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks in the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

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