Marvin Bagley III: 2018 NBA Draft player profile

Strengths

Motor 

One of the easiest attributes to see and value in a potential big man prospect is his motor. When people talk about a player’s “motor,” they are praising or condemning how hard they play. This trait is crucial for NBA big men because a high motor leads to easy points at the rim, a higher rebound rate and increased defensive intensity. All three of those elements are some of the components to a quality big man.

This clip showcases Bagley’s high effort level against Florida State. Trevon Duval fights hard for a rebound. As Bagley sprints out in transition and outruns Florida State guard M.J. Walker he collects the pass in transition from Duval, going up strong at the rim and drawing a foul.

Here’s another clip showing off his motor. This is from the Blue Devils’ ACC Conference Tournament Game against Notre Dame. Bagley takes advantage of some poor transition defense, catching the lob pass from Grayson Allen for an easy two points.

Potential offensive versatility

The emergence of big men in the NBA with guard-like skills has spread like wildfire. It has almost become more of necessity rather than a commodity to have these versatile big men on a roster. Bagley shot 39.7 percent from the 3-point line.

Unfortunately, with a relative small sample size (1.8 attempts per game) and an alarming 62.7 percent from the free throw line, teams could be split on Bagley’s natural touch, which would play a role in the future development of his jump shot. However, if you look at his shot, the mechanics are far from poor and his ability to shoot so proficiently off the catch is a great sign.

Here’s Bagley showing off his jump shot against Virginia. He’s trailing behind Grayson Allen as Allen feeds him the ball. He does a nice job of setting his feet quickly toward the hoop. Then in one fluid motion knocks down a beautiful catch-and-shoot 3.

Bagley’s offensive versatility does not come to an abrupt end after his jump shot. He has also showcased grab-and-go ability off an offensive rebound by being able to handle the ball in the open court in transition.

Here’s Bagley coming up with a loose ball in a game against Wake Forest. He dribbles through traffic, going right Wake Forest guards Bryant Crawford and Mitchell Wilbekin. Wilbekin stays with Bagley, trying to strip the ball away, but Bagley makes a great behind-the-back move in transition that leads to a dunk.

Later in the game Bagley makes a great defensive play, blocking Demon Deacon guard Brandon Childress at the rim. Bagley corrals the rebound and pushes the ball in transition with lightning speed for a near seven-footer, drawing the foul call at the rim.

Rebounding 

Bagley was one of the best rebounders in the country this season at Duke. He averaged 11.1 rebounds per game. Rebounding is a trait that usually carries over to the NBA, especially when it’s a prospect that is blessed with the motor and athletic tools that Bagley is. Here’s a chart comparing rebounding percentage’s of Bagley’s season against some of the NBA’s best current rebounders when they played in college.

All three of these players, Andre Drummond, Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid, are all in the top 10 in total rebounds per game in the NBA. With all three averaging more than 10 total rebounds per game.

Leaping ability 

The top athletic attribute that Marvin Bagley holds is his explosive leaping ability. He explodes well off of both one and two feet. His most important part of his leaping ability is how explosive he is, and how quick he gets off the ground on his second and third jumps.

Bagley shows off his leaping explosion on his second and third jumps against North Carolina fighting for one offensive rebound after another, eventually getting the and-1 bucket.

Here’s Bagley once again showing off his second and third jumps against Virginia. He tips up the Gary Trent airball, grabbing his own offensive rebound off the tip. He takes a dribble and explodes up, but misses again. Finally, Bagley gets his second tip-in attempt at the rim to fall.

As you can probably see, Bagley’s excellent rebounding rates are a true testament to his explosive leaping ability and nonstop motor combined.