The old cliche that says sometimes a player just needs a “change of scenery” proved to be true for Marvin Bagley III and the Detroit Pistons.
Bagley III spent the first 3+ years with the Sacramento Kings, a team former pick Boogie Cousins recently threw under the bus for being one of the most dysfunctional in the league.
Aside from the irony of Cousins calling anyone else dysfunctional, he’s not wrong, as the Kings have been one of the worst franchises in the NBA forever, and unlike the Pistons, don’t have a championship pedigree to fall back on.
Bagley III is just the most recent player to flame out in Sacramento, which is why a lot of fans thought he might still have a productive career if he just changed teams.
It wasn’t just that Bagley III put up solid numbers with the Detroit Pistons, it was that he looked like he was enjoying playing basketball again, something he confirmed in a recent interview.
Marvin Bagley III is enjoying basketball with the Detroit Pistons
Whether it was the unmet expectations, weight of being the number two pick or butting heads with coaches, MBIII’s time in Sacramento didn’t look to be much fun for him. HIs body language was telling, which is why a lot of fans didn’t think he was even worth the cost of two second-round picks.
He had long stretches of inactivity, had been relegated to just 21 minutes per game and was putting up career-worst numbers in everything. Bagley III didn’t have a defined role, didn’t seem to be improving, and looked like a guy who might not be long for the league.
But the talent was there, so this did end up being a “change of environment” situation, as MBIII immediately had a defined role, a respected veteran head coach and a fun team of hard-working young players as teammates when he was traded to the Detroit Pistons.
Things turned around, as Bagley III put up career-highs in minutes and field-goal percentage, proving himself to a reliable bench scorer who will occasionally break out for a big game.
Most importantly, his attitude and body language changed and he appeared to be having fun, something he recently confirmed.
https://twitter.com/DetroitPistons/status/1516484300035788806
Environment does matter, as Bagley III went from an unstable coaching situation to Dwane Casey, went from fans who thought he was a letdown to fans who were excited about his potential, from a team where he had no role to one where he was pencilled into the rotation every night.
It didn’t hurt that he had two point guards who were eager to get him the ball after not playing with a big who could finish around the rim for most of the season.
It now looks like Marvin Bagley III has a bright future in Detroit, and if the Pistons can get him locked up to a team-friendly deal, the risk they took on a disgruntled player will have paid off.