Boston Celtics: Early look at 5 2018 NBA Draft prospects, Part 1
1. Marvin Bagley III
Height: 6’11”, Weight: 234 lbs
Age: 18
Position: Power Forward
Stats: 21.9 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.9 BPG, 0.7 SPG, 63.0 FG%, 35.7 3P%
- Player Comparison: LaMarcus Aldridge
- Ceiling: All-Star
- Floor: Starter
For me personally, Marvin Bagley III mostly compares to LaMarcus Aldridge, even though I’ve seen a lot of comparisons to the great Kevin Garnett. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to continue the trend with players in the league right now.
I don’t see the comparison to Garnett just yet. KG was an elite defensive player, who could get up and block shots all game long. On the other hand, Bagley III averages just 0.9 blocks and 0.7 steals per game – which is why I draw the comparison to Aldridge. Aldridge doesn’t have the shot-blocking ability, averaging 1.1 blocks per game.
Bagley III is 6’11” (just like Aldridge), and 234 pounds. He is almost 30 pounds less then Aldridge, but over time Bagley III should add more muscle. Another cause for similarities between the two players is that they both play defense using their strength. Nothing flashy with blocks and steals, but they are solid defenders.
Not until late in Aldridge’s career was he ever a reliable 3-point shooter. Bagley III is shooting the 3-ball at a 35.7 percent clip. He doesn’t spend a whole lot of time out there, however, shooting the long ball two times per game. Most of his points come from offensive rebounds, or post-up plays.
He’s very effective shooting the ball – shooting 63.0 percent from the field on 13.7 shot attempts per game. Again, not to sound like a broken record, but that is similar to the style of play in Aldridge. A big reason to why he scores a lot of points for Bagley III is his rebounding.
He’s averaging 11.6 rebounds per game, and there are plenty of times where he will grab 15 of them in a game. In fact, just the other day against Florida State, he recorded 21 rebounds and 11 of those were offensive. As of now, Bagley III is sitting fifth in Division I basketball in rebounds per game. He’s trailing another player on this list, Ayton.
Boston would love to have Bagley III because it would be getting a player who has a motor to be great. Things would be scary on offense if he were in the starting lineup with Horford. A good thing about him being a part of the offense is that he would not be missing a lot of his shots.
Irving does like to take a lot of shots, which means he will miss quite a few. Having Bagley III down low would mean that he would be able to clean up anything that Irving misses, or anyone for that matter. Lastly, like it’s been said before, Boston has the best defense in the NBA.
Bagley III could possibly help improve their defense. However, he has the tools to be a great defender in the future. So, while it might not help at the time being like one would hope, you can safely say that in five years, he could be the anchor of the Celtics defense.
Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft: End of 2017 edition
All these players are worthy of being drafted by Boston come this 2018 NBA Draft. If the Lakers land picks 2-5, then Boston will be getting another top prospect.