Kings' Kevin Huerter set for shoulder surgery, out for season

Kings’ Kevin Huerter set for shoulder surgery, out for season،

Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPNMarch 29, 2024, 8:50 p.m.

Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter will undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder to repair a torn labrum, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports told ESPN on Friday.

Huerter is expected to make a full recovery for the start of the 2024-25 season, Bartelstein told ESPN.

Huerter's loss is a blow to a Kings franchise fighting to stay out of the play-in tournament and return to the Western Conference playoffs for the second straight season. Sacramento (42-30) is currently eighth in the West, one game behind the sixth-place Dallas Mavericks heading into Friday's game.

Huerter, 25, had missed five straight games since suffering a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum and will now use the offseason to rehab.

He started 59 games for the Kings this season and averaged 10.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists. The Kings were 11-4 in games when Huerter scored more than 15 points, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Huerter played a big role in ending the Kings' playoff drought a season ago, reaching career highs in points (15.2), field goal percentage (48.5) and 3-point shooting percentage (40.2).

Huerter landed with the Kings in a 2022 trade with the Atlanta Hawks.