Sacramento Kings: Marvin Bagley III makes perfect sense in 2018 NBA Draft
By Evan Massey
Marvin Bagley III would be the perfect draft pick for the Sacramento Kings in the 2018 NBA Draft.
As the Sacramento Kings entered the 2017-18 NBA season, there was quite a bit of excitement surrounding them. It appeared that they had made a few big moves that could help them take a big step forward in their rebuilding process. Well, that hasn’t exactly been the case thus far this season.
Sacramento is once again headed for a top draft pick and made some trade deadline moves that had fans scratching their heads. Among those moves was the trade of Malachi Richardson, which didn’t make sense to too many people.
That being said, there is still hope in Sac-Town. There are still fans that firmly believe that Vlade Divac and company can get the Kings back into playoff contention in the fairly near future. If he is going to prove those fans right, he will need to continue making the right decisions in the NBA Draft.
Looking ahead at the 2018 NBA Draft, the Kings should have yet another top-five pick if the season continues the way it has gone. There are quite a few top-notch prospects in this draft class, but there is one player in particular that would fill exactly the void that the Kings need to fill.
Marvin Bagley is a 6’11” power forward currently starring for the Duke Blue Devils. He has taken the college basketball world by storm this season, but is not currently viewed as the No. 1 pick. Currently, NBADraft.net has the Kings being able to snag Bagley with the No. 4 overall pick.
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If the Kings are able to get a talent like Bagley at No. 4, they will certainly take a big leap forward in 2018-19.
Throughout the course of the 2017-18 season at Duke, Bagley has averaged 20.7 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. He has connected on 60.4 percent of his shot attempts, while knocking down 36 percent of his 3-point launches. Bagley has some work to do on his foul shooting, but he is a complete all-around offensive player.
Sacramento was forced to trade DeMarcus Cousins last year. It was a sad day for the franchise, but a day that every Kings fan knew was coming at some point. Drafting Bagley wouldn’t necessarily bring exactly what Cousins offered to the Kings, but the two players are certainly similar in some ways.
Standing in at 6’11” and 234 pounds, Bagley is an intimidating presence inside. He can finish in the paint and has top-notch athleticism as well. Bagley can also step out to the mid-range and 3-point line, which makes it even more difficult for opposing defenders to guard him.
Defensively, there is still some work for Bagley to do. He is averaging just one block per game and is not known as a good rim protector just yet. There is certainly potential for him to work his way into one, but at this point in time, Bagley isn’t going to be a contender for Defensive Player of the Year.
Even though his defense may need some work, Bagley’s offense is exactly what the Kings need. They are still holding out hope that both Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox will become consistent scorers, but having a talent like Bagley should give the Kings a legitimate No. 1 scoring option.
With all of that being said, it will be interesting to see what the upcoming offseason has in store for the Kings. They have a solid core of young talent and adding Bagley to the mix would be a major help. He could be exactly what the Kings need to turn things around and start getting closer to playoff contention.
Next: 2017-18 Week 21 NBA Power Rankings
Bagley may not end up being the pick this offseason, but he certainly would be a perfect fit for the Kings.