Detroit Pistons’ Marvin Bagley III made statement in preseason opener. Can he be consistent though?
Marvin Bagley III’s 25-point, seven-rebound performance on Sunday could be described as energetic, or in Monty Williams’ own words, “game-changing.”
But it wasn’t surprising.
The 2018 second overall pick has always had a proclivity for scoring. He’s been among the NBA’s most efficient scorers at the rim since the Detroit Pistons traded for him at the 2021-22 deadline. At 6-foot-11, he’s a gifted leaper and has a knack for positioning himself perfectly for lobs and tip-ins. The guards enjoy playing with him.
But entering this season, Bagley is fighting for his spot in the rotation. He and James Wiseman, whom the Pistons traded for this past February, are competing to be the third — and likely final — big man in Williams’ rotation. The two bigs were engaged in “high-level” competition during practice on Tuesday, Williams said, and it raised the energy level in the gym.
Bagley sat on the bench during the first half of Sunday’s 130-126 overtime loss in the preseason opener against the Phoenix Suns, as Wiseman initially got the nod as the third big. But after Jalen Duren exited the game at halftime with a right ankle sprain, Williams turned to Bagley for backup minutes.
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By the end of the night, Bagley was arguably Detroit’s best player despite not playing until after halftime. He scored 15 points of his 25 points in the fourth quarter — a stretch that saw the Pistons outscore Phoenix by 20 points to force overtime. Williams was pleased with his communication on defense.
If Bagley maintains that level of effort, it may not be much of a battle. And that’s his charge for the remainder of the season, Williams said. Bagley has struggled with consistency in his career, partially because of injuries. He hasn’t played more than 48 games in a season since he was a rookie. Sunday’s version of Bagley could be a difference-maker.
“I think he would agree that he’s looking for consistency in his career,” Williams said. “The number two pick, a lot of acclaim, a lot of talent, and at this point in his career he’s looking for consistency. And that’s what I’m looking for. If he can come off the bench, the other night, if he does that every night we’ll be in high cotton. We’re just looking for consistency from that position. The backup center and backup point guard have to be one of the more steady positions in the game, and consistency is key.”
Bagley checked in at the 5:21 mark of the third. Williams was unable to take him out afterward. He was active immediately, finishing alley-oops from Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey for his first two buckets. He even knocked down a 3-pointer late in the fourth to cut the deficit to 10 points, aiding the late comeback effort. Bagley shot 10-for-14 overall in 22 minutes of action.
But beyond his offensive productivity, Williams liked that Bagley called out screening actions to help out the guards on the defensive end. That, even moreso than his scoring, could put Bagley over the top since Williams has been transparent about his desire to only put high-effort defenders on the floor.
“I want him to feel comfortable to play his game,” Williams said. “I've always felt like when guys defend and compete, it makes their offensive night so much less stressed, if you get what I’m saying. In our economy, guys are so worried about their offense. For me, I’m like our best offense is a stop.”
Wiseman, who started the second quarter in Duren’s stead, finished with four points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes. The fourth-year big is earlier in his developmental timeline than Bagley, but he has perhaps the best physical tools of anyone on the roster as an athletic 7-footer with a wingspan close to 7-5.
The question is how patient will Williams be with Wiseman’s growth. He has a ways to go defensively, and he lacked Bagley’s aggression on offense. With three preseason games remaining, there’s still time for more twists and turns in the positional battle. For now, Bagley’s readiness and experience is giving him a leg up.
“Putting in too many young guys on the floor, I think, is a disservice to them,” Williams said. “You have to have some really good vets who know how to play. They settle us down a little bit, their voice is good on the floor, they know how to space, they know how to make the right plays.”
Pistons eager for Montreal
For the second time this calendar year, the Pistons will play a basketball game in a French-speaking city.
They will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in Montreal on Thursday — the second of two games in the NBA’s Canada Series. The first game was on Sunday, as the Toronto Raptors played against the Sacramento Kings in Vancouver. In January, the Pistons played the Chicago Bulls in Paris.
“We want to be productive,” Williams said. “This is a big time trip. We want to get up there, have a great shootaround. There’s going to be some team building. We have to keep growing as a team. We’re never going to be in a situation where it’s get in, get out. This is a high-level business trip for us.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
Next up: Thunder
Matchup: Pistons (0-1) vs. Oklahoma City (1-0), exhibition.
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Thursday; Bell Centre, Montreal.
TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit; WWJ-AM (950).
Regular-season opener: At Miami Heat; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Consistency is key for Detroit Pistons big man Marvin Bagley III
