If it’s indeed an achilles injury, hopefully he’s able to make a full recovery and continue being one of the NBA’s better swingmen next season and beyond. So, it really sucks for everyone involved here, but particularly Gay of course. It’s unreasonable to think he’ll be able to do that much more to make up for the loss of Gay. And how much more can DeMarcus Cousins really be expected to do? He’s averaging 28.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. Their third-leading scorer is 29-year-old journeyman point guard Darren Collison at 12.8 points per game. So, their playoff chances probably weren’t very good anyway (and note: this is all to just get in and likely get swept by the Warriors), and now they lose the guy that was their second-leading scorer at 18.7 points per game. So, Gay may not find a better option out there than to just stay with the Kings on that $14.2 million deal this offseason.Īs for what it means for the 2016-17 Kings? Well, they’re 16-25, 1.5 games back of the eighth spot (and with two teams ahead of them). Achilles injuries have unfortunately derailed many careers, and there’s really no way of knowing how Gay will be again until we see him back out on the court. This is why Gays quick return and immediate solid play. Now he would have a long recovery timetable, and it’s uncertain if he’d ever even be the same again once he’s “recovered”. The Achilles injury Gay is trying to come back from has ruined careers, and the players who do manage to keep playing rarely look the same.
