Kings forward Marvin Bagley III said he does not expect to play in Friday’s preseason opener against the Portland Trail Blazers as he recovers from COVID-19, but he is “feeling great” and excited about the upcoming season.
During a Zoom session with reporters Wednesday, Bagley revealed that he contracted the coronavirus before training camp began Dec. 1. Bagley said the illness caused him to miss the first days of individual workouts.
“I caught COVID while I was out in Arizona a couple of days before we had to be out here, so I wasn’t here the first few days of camp for individual workouts, but I’ve been here watching ever since camp started,” Bagley said. “I’m feeling great. I’ve been out there working out, individual workouts. This is the best I’ve ever felt. I’m just getting through the COVID protocol and I’ll be back on the court fairly soon, so I’m excited about that.”
Bagley said he experienced symptoms of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, for three or four days.
“Body aches, headaches, I was hot and cold,” Bagley said. “Kind of like the flu, but it was a little bit worse than that. After that I started feeling better. I started feeling good. I started getting back to feeling normal again. It was just those first few days that were real tough for me after I tested positive, but every other day after that I started getting better and better.”
Bagley has appeared in just 75 games since the Kings selected him out of Duke with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He averaged 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds last season but appeared in only 13 games due to thumb and foot injuries.
Bagley said he is physically healthy now and eager to start the season.
“I’m feeling great, man,” Bagley said. “I’m feeling the best I’ve ever felt in a while. I took time this offseason to put more time into my body, just do everything I can control to make sure I’m on the court and available for my team.
“Last season, I’m putting that behind me. I really don’t care to talk about it anymore. I’m just looking forward. I’m excited to be with this new group of guys, these new faces we’ve got here, and I’m excited to build on what we’ve been doing so far.”
Bagley missed 22 games with a broken thumb at the start of the 2019-20 season and later missed 29 games with a left midfoot sprain. He was an early standout in practice as the Kings prepared for the NBA restart, but he missed all eight games in the Orlando bubble after suffering a lateral sprain to his right foot.
“I’ve got a lot of fire inside right now from sitting out so long,” Bagley said. “I’ve got a chip on my shoulder as every year, but it’s even more this year. God got me through that tough time. I learned a lot. I saw a lot. It was tough at the moment, but it was a blessing in disguise. I was able to learn a lot, focus on my body, take control of my health, and just get better.”
Bagley said he spent much of his offseason working on his shooting and playmaking ability.
“I’ve been working on everything,” he said. “Just watching videos on playmaking. Shooting was one of the biggest things I’ve been working on. My shot feels good. Watching the film, it looks good. So those are a couple things to point out, but I’ve been working on everything this offseason.”
Kings coach Luke Walton said he is impressed with what he has seen from Bagley.
“He’s trained,” Walton said. “Every time we’ve had Marvin and he’s been healthy, there’s a lot to be excited about since I’ve been here. And I know that was only for (13) games, so a lot of what I’m going off is what I see him doing in drills and practice and whatnot, but his shot looks better and he’s motivated from coming out of another disappointing injury in the bubble. He wants to get on that court and go, so it’s exciting (to think about) the possibility of what he can help our team do.”
The Kings will play preseason games against the Blazers on Friday and Sunday in Portland before coming home to face the Golden State Warriors in their last two preseason games Dec. 15 and Dec. 17 at Golden 1 Center. Bagley hopes to be cleared soon, but he doesn’t believe he will be able to play Friday.
“I don’t expect to be available as far as the protocol rules and everything that I have to go through, the steps I have to take, but I’m here every day,” Bagley said. “I’m doing my treatment. Nothing has changed. I feel great, but I’m just following the rules every day, listening to the trainers. Whatever they have for me, I’m doing it, and I’m just taking it one day at a time. I should be back very soon.”
