Marvin Bagley III will look to get a fresh start when he debuts for the Detroit Pistons, who will use the rest of the season to see if he is a fit with their roster.
While we can take a guess at how Bagley III will fit on the Pistons depth chart, how he will actually fit into the offense and defense is a different story.
Bagley III is embroiled in the worst season of his career, seeing his minutes cut and his production with it.
The talent is there, but he hasn’t really been able to put it all together since having a promising rookie season.
The Kings often just planted Bagley III into the corner, turning him into a stretch-four at times, which is not the strength of his game.
So can the Detroit Pistons figure this talented puzzle out? How will his role need to change for him to be effective?
Marvin Bagley III needs to play big for the Detroit Pistons
First off, forget about all of this 3-point shooting. Bagley III currently takes over two 3-point shots per game but is only hitting 24 percent of them, which is the last thing the shooting-starved Pistons need.
Detroit is small up front, and has needed a big man who can run the floor, get some easy buckets and catch a lob, things that have been missing from their attack all season.
Bagley has been more effective the closer he is to the basket, as he is shooting over 60 percent on shots inside the restricted area, 50 percent from 5-9 feet, 40 percent from 10-14 feet and then it gets really ugly.
The Pistons can’t make the same mistake as the Kings and use Bagley III as a stretch four because he isn’t. They need to get him into the paint, use Kelly Olynyk as the stretch and let Bagley do what he does best, which is score in the paint.
Marvin Bagley III needs to run the pick-and-roll for the Detroit Pistons
Bagley III is the type of athletic big man who should thrive in the pick-and-roll as a roller or a guy who can pop out and hit a mid-range jump shot.
But the Kings rarely used him in that role, as he had just a 9.1 percent pick-and-roll frequency this season for Sacramento.
This was just bad offense by the Kings, as Bagley III scored 57.7 percent of the time he ran the pick-and-roll and had a 56.3 effective shooting percentage as the pick man.
This is an area where Killian Hayes should be able to thrive off the bench with Bagley, as he is very good at running the P-n-R but hasn’t really had a big to run it with.
Bagley III is athletic enough to set the pick and roll to the hoop, something the Pistons’ other bigs are not very good at, so this should be a chance for both Hayes and Bagley III to be featured in the second-unit offense.
I’d love to see them use this as their primary bench weapon with Kelly Olynyk and Frank Jackson playing away from the hoop, as it should open up some shots for them and clear the lane for Hayes and Bagley III to operate.
Unlike the Kings, the Pistons need to get Bagley III moving towards the hoop and not just park him in the corner.
Marvin Bagley III needs to get to the free-throw line
You can see how Bagley III’s game has changed from his rookie season until now, as he got to the line 4.2 times per game as a rookie and only gets there 1.6 times per game now.
This is partially the product of a reduced role, but Bagley III is at his best when he is playing bully ball down low, using his athleticism and physicality to get on the boards, take it strong to the rim and draw fouls.
Bagley’s free-throw shooting has been up and down in his career, but he is shooting 74 percent this season and free throws can be a weapon for him.
The Pistons are not a good shooting team, so getting to the line for freebies is crucial. This is an area where Bagley III can thrive if the Pistons cut him loose, forget about the 3-point shot and let this guy fulfill his promise as a big man.
Too many teams are trying to turn talented bigs into 3-point shooters, which has been one of the big problems in Bagley III’s regression as a basketball player.
The Detroit Pistons need him to play like a center, to stop shooting 3’s and get into the lane in the pick-and-roll to take advantage of the two talented playmakers they have at guard.