The morning after Marvin Bagley III’s debut with the Pistons, the man who traded for him asked for a little patience. Bagley had practiced once with his new team. Troy Weaver also said this: “When he gets comfortable, we expect his talent to really pop for us.”
It popped on Wednesday night. Not the way Jerami Grant’s popped in a 24-point performance punctuated by the game-winning bucket in the Pistons’ slump-busting win over the Celtics. Not the way Saddiq Bey’s popped in a 20-point double-double, or even the way Cade Cunningham’s popped in another stat-stuffing statement by the potential Rookie of the Year. Bagley had a quieter night.
Except for one extremely loud play that captured why Weaver brought him here and why he intends to keep the "tremendous young man" around.
Midway through the second quarter, Cunningham probed the left side of the Celtics’ defense. And just when he could have dribbled into a trap, he threw a lob toward the rim for Bagley, who sprung into the air with his 6’11 frame, met the ball at its peak and slammed it through the hoop over the outstretched arms of Grant Williams. That is, he put Williams on a poster.
The Pistons haven’t had length and athleticism in the paint like this since Weaver arrived. Well, they haven’t had length and athleticism in the paint like this since Weaver let Christian Wood walk in free agency two offseasons ago. The Pistons GM has been searching for a replacement ever since, particularly the past few months. He believes he found one in Bagley.
And not just for the rest of this season, after which Bagley will be a free agent. Ideally, the 22-year-old center is part of the Pistons’ future.
“He’s a young man that we like,” Weaver said this week on 97.1 The Ticket. “We wanted to bring him in and see how he fit with the group (before making a decision this summer), but our plans are to continue working with Marvin and growing him and hopefully he can move forward with us in the future. That’s the plan, for him to be with us.”
Bagley comes with question marks, no doubt. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy through four seasons in the NBA. He hasn’t quieted critics about his defense. He hasn’t blown anyone away with his effort. There’s a reason the Kings were willing to part with a player they once planned to build around for Trey Lyles, Josh Jackson and a couple second-round picks.
There’s also a reason they drafted him second overall in the first place. To wit: he can change games.
We'll see how many games Bagley changes for the Pistons. He came here averaging career lows this season in points (9.3) and rebounds (7.2), slowed in part by a nagging ankle injury. He'll change none if he can't stay on the floor. But in a rather modest performance off the bench Wednesday in a two-point win for the Pistons, you could argue he changed his first.
Bagley bottomed out in Sacramento. The only player drafted ahead of him in 2018, D'Andre Ayton, has been a rumored target of the Pistons this summer. Ayton would fill the same void Bagley can fill now. Bagley would cost a good deal less, for an arguably higher athletic ceiling. He hasn't done anything yet to warrant a long-term commitment. But when he linked up Wednesday night with the face of the Pistons' future on a highlight-reel play, you saw what Weaver hopes to see for a long time coming.
“We’re excited about the talent," Weaver said, "and we’re excited about him moving forward with the group."