The Detroit Pistons may have a gem in Marvin Bagley III
When the Detroit Pistons traded for Marvin Bagley III, I had a small but loud group of fans telling me the Pistons were foolish to give up TWO SECOND ROUND PICKS!!!! for a 22-year-old with high-ceiling talent.
Whether Bagley III turns into a star for the Pistons or not, it was a worthwhile gamble, as two late second-round picks are unlikely to yield an NBA rotation player and Bagley III is at least that and maybe more. The Pistons get 23 more games to try him out and will have the inside track on re-signing him, which is well worth two late picks.
The Pistons have been too small all season and Bagley III immediately showed in the first quarter how he can help.
He had a nice show-and-go from the 3-point line in the 1st, pump-faking his man off his feet and then taking it to the rim for the finish. This was something Trey Lyles was effective at doing at times, but often failed to finish.
Bagley III had a weak side block on Jarrett Allen, showing another thing the Pistons have lacked, which is rim protection.
In the second quarter, he caught lob from Cade Cunningham in transition, something we’ve been waiting all season to see. He caught another lob from Kelly Olynyk later in the game with similar results.
He also had a nice bucket off a Killian Hayes pass that really showed how he will benefit the young guards. Hayes got into the lane but was doubled after he picked up his dribble. He was able to dump it off to Bagley III as an emergency outlet under the hoop and Marvin dunked it.
The Detroit Pistons have needed this outlet for their guards all season, as they just didn’t have a guy who they could throw it up to in a pinch. Bagley III certainly still has some flaws but he is already showing how he can help the Pistons.