The Portland Trail Blazers acquire a former second-overall pick
Marvin Bagley III has had a rocky start to his NBA career with the Sacramento Kings. It doesn’t help that he and the organization are eternally haunted by the ghost of Luka Doncic who was drafted the very next pick by the Dallas Mavericks.
To this point, Bagley has proved an injury prone, offensively promising, defensively liable project. Despite the negatives in his game, he still has the potential to be a 20 and 10 guy for years to come.
Even with his injuries and complete lack of ability to guard, Bagley’s made the most of his playing time with the Kings. Through three seasons, he’s averaged 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in only 25 minutes per game, while shooting over 50 percent from the floor.
What’s been especially encouraging about his future is his development into a floor-spacer. Last season, he shot 34 percent from beyond the arc on over two attempts per game. If he can turn his 3-point shot from a project into a consistent weapon, he’ll considerably raise his ceiling.
Aside from potentially spacing the floor, the south paw will bring a lot of new wrinkles to the Blazers offense. He’s a true slasher, rim-runner, and low-post threat, all of which Portland sorely need on their roster.
The Blazers need a player besides Damian Lillard who they can count on to get two points at any time. Watch how easily Bagley bullies his way into the paint and then uses his footwork and soft touch to finish the lefty hook.
Even though he’s not a great defender, or even an acceptable one, he’ll slot into the power forward position and allow Robert Covington to start at the three instead of the 6’3 Norman Powell. Despite his deficiencies, just being tall enough to guard forwards will still upgrade Portland’s starting defense.
Bagley’s time with the Sacramento Kings looks like it’s coming to an end. If so, the Portland Trail Blazers need to take full advantage. A future first-round pick and Derrick Jones Jr. is a small price to pay for a player with Bagley’s potential.