He himself describes his unsuccessful time in the Kings as a source of learning. Far from fulfilling any expectations as number two in the draft, he was aware of the mistake of taking things for granted and the need to keep his head on a day-to-day basis. However, it’s hard to see how Marvin Bagley might have turned his situation around without leaving Sacramento behind. The power forward may never live up to what his potential promised when he left Duke. But a change of scenery may have saved his career from ostracism. “Since I am here [en Detroit] I have dedicated myself to playing as I know how and I can be myself» tells him to Mike Scotto for the web de HoopsHype.
Bagley admits to having felt a total liberation to sign 37 million dollars for three years with the Michigan. “My family and I are excited. We love the opportunity to be here to continue growing as a player and person.” This has been seen since he set foot on the Pistons last February. He played with an unprecedented nonchalance in his last seasons in the Kings. His new coach Dwayne Casey values him highly as a finisher and post scorer beyond the defensive possibilities he may end up developing. In 18 games with them he averaged 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in 27 minutes per night with the best percentages of his career.
The 23-year-old power forward approaches this new stage and the upcoming season with a single goal in mind. “I just want to play basketball, be myself and have fun once more. […] We cannot put a ceiling on ourselves. We must learn, improve and work as we have been doing. Only then will we become what we want to be. With their summer moves, the Pistons aim to add quite a few more wins than last year and perhaps fight for play-in spots. Be that as it may, they will do it with Cade Cunningham at the controls. “He is an All-Star level player. I saw it from the first day I got here. It’s a lot of fun to play with someone of his intelligence and that he can do so many things on the track »Bagley assures of his teammate.
(Cover photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)