Marvin Bagley III Set To Begin Pivotal Year In NBA Career
Dec 22, 2020, 10:36 AM | Updated: 10:51 am
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The 21-year-old has battled injuries over his first two professional seasons. Is this the year he puts it all together?
If you were to turn on your TV and flip to a Duke Blue Devils basketball game during the 2017-18 season, odds are you would catch Marvin Bagley III dominating his opponents.
Bagley was a walking double-double, scoring 21.0 points per game on 61-percent shooting while also snaring 11.1 rebounds per game.
The freshman big was arguably the best player in all of college basketball, with several draft experts predicting one of Bagley or Deandre Ayton going on to grab the number-one spot in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Ayton went first to the Phoenix Suns and Bagley was drafted by Sacramento with the second-overall pick, giving Kings fans a vision of the 6’11 forward catching lob passes from De’Aaron Fox.
Of course, things have not gone according to plan over the past two seasons.
For starters–as you all know–the player drafted right behind Bagley was a guard by the name of Luka Doncic.
Before Bagley could even log a minute of NBA playing time, fans were already holding the fact that he was taken ahead of Doncic against him–like Bagley had anything to do with the decision.
“You see it, you hear it, but I pay it no mind,” Bagley said of being tied to Doncic. “I’m not here to please anyone outside the team. I’m here to help the team win. I’m here to help this organization get to places it has never been.”
During his rookie season, Bagley looked very solid, averaging 14.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game over 62 games.
When the Bagley was on the floor, he produced–especially when he played big minutes. During the 2018-19 season, Bagley averaged 21.2 points and 10.9 rebounds per game when he saw over 30 minutes of playing time.
The rookie missed 20 games due to a leg injury, but still claimed NBA All-Rookie First Team honors for his efforts.
Heading into the 2019-20 season, the narrative that Bagley is an injury prone player was not something that was broadcasted as widely as it is today.
On opening night, Bagley broke his right-thumb during garbage time with the Kings being blown-out by 20-plus points.
Bagley would be sidelined for 23 games before returning to the lineup, playing in just eight more games before going down with a foot injury. The second-year forward would miss another eight games before attempting to return to play–appearing in four more contests before aggravating his injury and missing the remainder of the season.
When the NBA season was shutdown in March, Bagley had already been inactive for nearly two months. The possibility of starting the season back up in July-August meant that it would be possible for a return to the lineup to help aid a playoff push.
The Kings arrived in Orlando with Bagley, who was rumored to have looked healthy and ready to make an impact during bubble play.
Sadly, Bagley would not see the floor after injuring his foot during the initial days of training camp, effectively ending his 2019-20 season after only appearing in 13 games.
That brings us to today.
Bagley had flown under the radar for most of the offseason, with minimal posts on social media and a temporary deactivation of his Twitter account. According to Bagley, he spent most of his offseason focusing on his body to ensure a healthy 2020-21 campaign.
“I feel great, I feel the best I have ever felt in awhile. I took some time this offseason to put more time into my body, just do everything that I could control to make sure that 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 excited to be with this new group of guys and I’m excited to build on what we have been doing so far.”
Marvin Bagley III during Sacramento Kings 2020-21 Training Camp
After missing the first couple of days of training camp due to a bout with COVID-19, Bagley was back at practice in the days leading up to the Kings preseason series with the Golden State Warriors.
Bagley looked strong in a limited sample size, starting at the power forward spot and scoring nine points on four-of-seven shooting to go along with four boards over just 16 minutes.
The 6’11 forward’s production was similar in the final game of the preseason, as he would finish with six points on three-of-four from the field with three rebounds in only 18 minutes.
Head coach Luke Walton shared with the media that both he and Bagley wanted to run the former Blue Devil back out onto the floor for more minutes but the Kings training staff would not allow it.
The plan was always to play Bagley for 15-20 minutes, bringing the big man along slowly as he gets his footing back after recovering from COVID-19.
Walton told the media that the team would be scrimmaging hard and playing lots of five-on-five leading into the season opener on Wednesday. This could signal that Bagley will be seeing the floor for more than 20 minutes in the season opener in Denver.
The 2020-21 season will be the most important season in Marvin Bagley III’s career, with the Kings weighing whether or not they will want to extend a contract extension to the 21-year-old after the season is complete.
De’Aaron Fox inked a maximum five-year extension with Sacramento last month, something that Bagley could use as fuel to show what he is worth to the franchise during the upcoming season.
The notion that the third-year forward is a ‘bust’ is something that I, myself, cannot get behind.
When Bagley is on the floor, he produces. While he has only played in 75 of a possible 154 contests, the forward is nearly averaging a double-double per game over 25.3 minutes per game.
Scoring 14.8 points and grabbing 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting 50-percent from the field is not something to turn your nose up at.
Bagley is an above-average rebounder and a very efficient scorer in and around the paint. Improving his outside shot is a hurdle that could make the difference of Bagley turning from a role-player into star, something that he said he worked on a lot this offseason.
“Shooting was one of my biggest things that I’ve been working on. My shot feels good, my shot while watching the film looks good. I’ve been working on everything this offseason, I would say.”
When it comes down to it, Marvin Bagley the basketball player is not the problem. Staying on the floor has been the problem. If Bagley can stay on the floor this season, there shouldn’t be many doubts about whether or not he can be a productive player.
Walton has started Bagley at the power forward spot in both preseason games, something that should be permanent as the season begins.
If Bagley can play around 30 minutes per game this season, we could see his production match some of the best forward-centers in the game of basektball.
Per 36 minutes for his career, Bagley holds averages of 21.0 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.
The Sacramento Kings need another franchise centerpiece to play alongside De’Aaron Fox for years to come. Will that second piece become Marvin Bagley III?
“He is a prodigious talent,” ESPN’s NBA insider Zach Lowe said of Bagley in a recently published article. “Bagley is going to score a lot. He might sniff 20 points per game this season if he stays healthy and gets enough minutes.”
Kings fans hope that Bagley is primed for a big season–something that both he and the organization need badly, for the former number-two pick to solidify himself as a mainstay in Sacramento.
Bagley is ready, telling the media that the chip on his shoulder has never been bigger.
“I’ve got a chip on my shoulder–as every year–but it’s even more this year… Wherever I’m put on the floor, I’m looking to make an impact. The four or five, whatever and wherever coach decides to put me, I’m going to learn it, focus and lock in on it. I don’t have any expectations. I’m just coming in and ready to work, giving it everything that I’ve got every day and just getting ready for this run that we’re going to go on.”
Marvin Bagley III during Sacramento Kings 2020-21 Training Camp
It’s sink or swim time for Marvin Bagley III. Can he become the star that the team envisioned when selecting him with the second-overall pick?
Time to find out.
