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When the Dallas Mavericks traded Anthony Davis, they were mocked for the sheer lack of assets they acquired. Most expected that the trade would only amount to salary cap relief, but the Mavericks may have found something extra.
That cherry on top, was Marvin Bagley.
In his 6 games with the Dallas Mavericks, Bagley has averaged an impressive 13.5 points, and 8.5 rebounds, all while only playing 23 minutes per game. This may have come as a shock to many Mavericks fans, as Bagley’s reputation is of a bust who was drafted before Luka Doncic. But this “breakout” isn’t that surpirising.
Bagley has slowly evolved as a player since he was drafted, having to completely change his role after being taken 2nd overall. Many hoped that Bagley could develop into the next dominant two-way superstar, believing that his offensive game would rapidly improve.
But it never did, leading to most labeling him as a bust within just a few years. It also didn’t help that he was drafted ahead of Luka Doncic and Trae Young, both players being passed over by Kings G.M. Vlade Divac.
So how did Bagley turn his career around?
By focusing on the things that top 3 picks do not often do.
Bagley has become everything you want in a backup big man, from incredibly high effort, to defensive switch-ability. His touch around the rim is also a breath of fresh air, as watching Daniel Gafford or Moussa Cisse attempt jump-hooks is maddening. Bagley’s rebounding, especially on the offensive end has been sorely lacking since Dereck Lively got hurt. His box score numbers don’t look all that impressive, but the advanced metrics tell a different story. Bagley grades very highly in most defensive playmaking metrics, and players shoot 8 percentage points worse when he is contesting a shot, according to Databallr.
So, it seems obvious that he should be resigned this offseason, but it may not be that easy. Since Bagley is on a minimum contract, the Mavericks only have his non Bird Rights, meaning they can only offer him 3.7 million next season, according to MavsCBA. This means the only way they can bring back is to pay him part of the Mid-Level Exception. This brings another set of problems, as it would be ideal for the Mavericks to find one high end role player with the MLE, rather than splitting it into two.
But there may be a solution.
This solution is to shuffle the deck of your existing role players. Instead of using the MLE to find a 3-and-D wing, use either Gafford, or P.J. Washington, allowing the Mavericks to use the MLE money on Bagley. While this may seem like a winding process to sign a backup big man, it’s something that should happen anyway, regardless of Bagley.
If they do manage to resign Bagley, a center duo of him and Dereck Lively becomes very interesting, if Lively can stay healthy. Rather than having two centers who do the exact same things, the Mavericks could have real versatility, with centers who have very different skillsets.
Either way, it has been fun to watch a player find his role in the NBA, and no matter what team he plays for next season, Marvin Bagley III has found a home in the league.