Marvin Bagley’s “Coach K” Instagram Post Has Nothing To Do With Dave Joerger
Jan 22, 2019, 12:00 AM
(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)Marvin Bagley III,Dave Joerger
(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
by Matt George
God bless social media for giving fans access to professional athletes that they would never get anywhere else. But the correct interpretation of a post is easily lost online, and Sacramento Kings rookie Marvin Bagley is the latest athlete to have fans reading between the lines. Following Sacramento’s loss in Brooklyn yesterday, Bagley posting this on Instagram:
What appears to be Bagley praising his former coach, Duke’s legendary Mike Krzyzewski, who helped pave his way to becoming the second overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, has now become a topic of anti-Kings head coach Dave Joerger to some paranoid fans. Naturally, any post following a loss, even when it has nothing to do with the loss itself, carries an extra weight of negativity and significance to disappointed supporters. The “Coach allowed me to be Marvin Bagley III” bit has far too many running to their own social media platforms to post their conspiracy theories.
Just to be clear, this post has absolutely nothing to do with Dave Joerger. Any player praising a former coach, be it college, high school or AAU, should not be interpreted as a veiled shot towards their current coach. Bagley has more than enough of a reason to be grateful for Coach K, who has played an instrumental role in Marvin’s basketball development from his recruitment to the NCAA National Tournament. On top of his on-court teachings, Krzyzewski appeared on the Dan Patrick Show in December of 2017 and said the following:
“Marvin, at 6-11, is an incredible athlete. I’ve coached the NBA guys for 11 years for USA Basketball, and he runs like the top two or three guys that I’ve coached. He is not a good runner; he’s an amazing runner. And then he’s an amazing repeated jumper. In other words, he doesn’t really take time to even land, he just pops right back up. He wants to learn, he has no demons, he’s a great kid, he’s smart, and has an incredible motor. He never has a bad day. He’s a treasure, really. He’s going to be one of the great players in the NBA during his time.”
Marvin Bagley Upset He’s Not a Starter in Sacramento?
So Marvin Bagley has more than enough of a reason to be thankful to Coach K. But what reason does he have to not be happy with Joerger?
The most obvious is playing time, with Bagley being one of the only top draft picks in this year’s class to not start for his team. While yes, being a starter at the NBA level is an important (although purely ceremonial) milestone for the modern day player, we can only guess what we believe to be Bagley’s chief motivations based off of his own words and actions. Of course Bagley wants to start. Of course he wants to play 35 minutes a night and be on the floor in crunch time. He probably also wants the ball in his hands for the last shot down by a point with three seconds remaining. Every NBA player does.
Here’s what we do know; Bagley has the reputation as a hard worker and great teammate through all realms of his basketball career.
Joerger’s philosophy that rookies have to earn their starting spots and minutes, no matter where they are selected in the draft, has proven to be beneficial for the Kings, who are enjoying significant improvement from guard De’Aaron Fox after he spent a good portion of his rookie season last year coming off the bench. On top of that, the Kings have a better record than the other four teams with top-five picks in last summer’s draft; the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks, all of whom have immediately started their rookies. Bagley is a key contributor to that, even off the bench.
Through 47 games this season, 14 of which Bagley has not played in due to injury, the uber-athletic 6’11” 19-year-old is averaging 12 points, six rebounds and a block while shooting 53% in 23 minutes a night. His per-36 numbers (19.4 pts, 9.8 rebs, 1.4 blks) nearly match the productivity of Rookie of the Year favorite Luka Doncic.
If his numbers are good enough to start, then why doesn’t he? Because he doesn’t have to. Beyond hearing your name called for introductions, and standing on the floor for the opening tip, starting in the NBA is relatively meaningless compared to being a consistent contributor to a winning team. Bagley has been that so far this season, and has steadily seen his minutes and opportunity increase because of it. It’s likely that he is very close to earning a starting spot for the Kings, which he may have had already were it not for his injuries.
Witnessing Bagley and Joerger’s Relationship Firsthand
Ask yourself; does Bagley choosing to take a veiled shot at his head coach by praising his former coach 47 games into his rookie season on a (currently) winning team in the playoff hunt make sense? Especially when the team’s General Manager has come out in support of Joerger, on top of the many all over the nation who have praised his rapid turnaround of this franchise? Answering yes would suggest that Bagley is motivated purely by his own personal gain, which I can tell you based on my interactions with him, and the words of his teammates and coaches, isn’t the case at all.
Following a win earlier on this season in Sacramento, I and other members of the media witnessed a private but positive moment between Joerger and Bagley. As the media was waiting around De’Aaron Fox’s locker for an interview, Joerger entered the Kings’ locker room and pulled Bagley aside, out of earshot. They proceeded to speak briefly, an animated conversation with lots of smiles and hand motions, ending in the two fist bumping and Bagley wearing a big grin on his face heading to his own locker. Without knowing what was said, I am confident that the conversation consisted of Joerger praising Bagley’s rapid growth and contribution to team success on the court.
On top of that, Joerger has done nothing but praise the rookie’s growth and work ethic this season, stating multiple times that he believes Bagley will be a star in the NBA.
“When we drafted Marvin at two, we were high-fiving like crazy. We got the right guy for us and where we’re going to be. This isn’t going to be a story in three days and it will definitely be buried five years from now when we have the next (Kevin) Durant, (Russell) Westbrook, because that’s how good they are going to be. They are both going to be in the All-Star game and we’re going to be deep in the playoffs and I’m excited about that. I like where we are and love we’re going.”
Coach Joerger clarifies his comments about Luka Doncic and praises Marvin Bagley III. pic.twitter.com/zY1QzTesvz
— NBCSAuthentic (@NBCSAuthentic) December 17, 2018
That sure sounds like a coach I would undermine on Instagram, doesn’t it?
And One More Thing…
Boston Celtics young star Jayson Tatum, also a former player at Duke for Coach K, commented with this on Bagley’s post:
Tatum currently plays for Brad Stevens in Boston, renowned as one of the best coaches and basketball minds in the NBA. Anyone want to throw out the suggestion that Tatum is jumping on the post with Bagley, trying to take shots at his head coach?
Social media is fantastic for the NBA and player personalities both on and off the court are what make the NBA so great. While the league does have it’s reality television aspects, fans trying to pull any deeper meaning out of posts like Bagley’s, simply thanking a former coach and basketball legend for the impact they had on his life and career, are really just grasping for straws.
