NBA Draft: Luka Doncic rises to first in 2018 NBA Redraft

Marvin Bagley III is our third Duke player off the board in this redraft, which is a problem since he was not only the first one taken but the second player overall in the draft. The Sacramento Kings attracted the immediate ire of the draft community when they took Bagley over Luka Doncic, and the decision has only looked worse since.

That isn’t to say that Bagley is a terrible player, as he has proven to be a good scorer inside and a solid rebounder. He has averaged 20.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per-36 minutes for his career. He is a crafty finisher and attacks the glass well.

The problems mount when you look deeper. His short wingspan, only about 1.5 inches longer than his 6’11” height, makes it more difficult to affect shots, especially when he gets out of position. Without dependable rim protection from Bagley, the Kings have found it difficult to play Bagley at the 5. At the four his lack of an outside shot (31.4 percent career from 3-point range) strangles the Sacramento offense. Add in plenty of fouling and a paucity of steals, and Bagley is really only a player at this point in his career who scores inside the arc and rebounds.

That’s a useful player still, and much more palatable at Pick No. 20 than at second overall. Here the Minnesota Timberwolves take a very different player than their original pick, the defensively-minded Josh Okogie. Even now Bagley has the upside to be a prolific scoring threat as something of a “big man 6th man” and he could come in and play in the big rotation for the Timberwolves here in the redraft.