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2018 Orlando Magic NBA Draft Preview: Marvin Bagley’s promise and struggle

By Philip Rossman-Reich

DURHAM, NC - DECEMBER 30: Marvin Bagley III #35 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts after dunking against the Florida State Seminoles during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - DECEMBER 30: Marvin Bagley III #35 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts after dunking against the Florida State Seminoles during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The Good

Marvin Bagley III truly stands out on the court with the ball in his hands. He is a supremely gifted and talented scorer. Not just in the traditional back-to-the-basket sense. He rolls aggressively through the lane and can finish well above the rim.

His stats are eye-popping and show just the reach he can have on the offensive end.

Whatever tool he needs to pull to score, he can pull it. He moves extremely smoothly through the lane and off the dribble, beating slower-footed big men to the basket.

There, he is probably the most athletic finisher in the Draft — yes, even over Deandre Ayton. Bagley can leap and score from almost any position.

His sense for offensive rebounds is second to none too. Bagley has a second nature for finding missed shots, collecting them and finishing with force. That is the appeal for Bagley.

If big men in the NBA are asked offensively to run a good pick and roll, fly to the basket and run the floor in transition, Bagley can do it. His offensive game is diverse, varied and, when needed, simple. Just get him around the basket and he will find a way to put it in.

Even from the outside, Bagley has shown some acumen as an outside shooter, although that is not his forte quite yet. Perhaps it is the only hole in his offensive game at the moment. He made 23 of 58 3-pointers last year (39.7 percent), a promising start to his potential shooting.

His ability to work on the offensive glass bodes well too. It takes a special kind of player to work the offensive boards the way he does. It takes a certain amount of fight to do that. And Bagley is energetic and engaged on offense in a way few players are in this Draft.

It feels like Bagley’s offensive ceiling is pretty much limitless. There is really very little he cannot do on that end of the court. And that is extremely impressive.