High school basketball’s latest sensation Marvin Bagley III just threw a huge wild card into the 2018 NBA Draft. Late on Monday night, the prospect announced on ESPN’s SportsCenter that he is reclassifying to the class of 2017, making him eligible to play college hoops this season. Bagley also revealed that he’s committing to Duke University, which edged out other potential suitors UCLA and USC. It is widely assumed that Bagley – like many Duke recruits – will be a “one-and-done” player at the college level, thus entering himself into the 2018 draft class.
That’s where the rebuilding Bulls will be waiting.
Bagley & The Bulls
Marvin isn’t a lock to go #1 overall in the 2018 draft. Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr has been the heavy favorite for a while. International prospect Luka Doncic is a dark horse candidate as well. But Bagley, with last night’s decision, immediately inserted himself into the conversation. He’s essentially guaranteed to go in the top five. According to all reasonable and logical estimations, that’s where the Bulls will be drafting next year. So how would Marvin fit into this new crop of young and rebuilding Bulls?
Bagley projects as the prototypical stretch four and combo center for modern NBA offenses, including that of Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg. At 6’11, the lefty has insane athleticism, strong ballhandling for a player his size and can score from virtually anywhere on the floor. He’s not an elite range shooter yet, but he definitely has potential to become a reliable three point threat in the pros. As an added bonus, he’ll spend a year improving his game under the tutelage of Coach Krzyzewski and his world-class staff in Durham. For a roster that is starving for athleticism and shooting, Bagley fits the bill.
Just watch the kid breaking ankles and burning NBA stars during Drew League games this summer.
Other Options
On the other hand, the Bulls already have Nikola Mirotic (assuming he re-signs), Bobby Portis and newly drafted Lauri Markkanen in the fold. Mirotic might not be in the team’s long term plans, but he and Portis both have “prove-it” seasons ahead of them. Both forwards need to prove that they can knock down outside shots consistently and offer more offensive versatility. Markkanen should see some minutes as a rookie, but there’s no way to predict Hoiberg’s rotation until we see these guys play some preseason games. If Portis improves to the point where Gar Forman and John Paxson feel good about keeping him around, and Markkanen proves he was worthy of the #7 overall pick, will the Bulls decide they’re set at the position and pass on Marvin?
Porter projects as more of a wing/small forward at the NBA level. He could probably play some minutes at the four in certain small-ball lineups, but ideally he’d join a healthy Zach LaVine to form one of the most athletic and dangerous wing duos in the league. Or perhaps the Bulls front office – feeling comfortable with their young guys at the wing and in the frontcourt – will look to Doncic to add a versatile scorer and distributor to their reeling backcourt. Wade is essentially guaranteed to be gone by the 2018 draft, and none of the young guards on the current Bulls roster look all that promising.
As a necessary side note, this is all conjecture at this point. We don’t know how many losses the Bulls will manage to stack up this season, nor do we know how the ping pong balls will fall in the draft lottery. But Marvin’s decision to reclassify and likely enter the 2018 draft is still great news for Chicago and their scrutinized front office duo. Bagley, like Porter, has the potential to be a superstar player in the NBA. The Bulls want as many franchise-changing players as possible in next year’s draft. GarPax said that’s part of the plan. They expect to have a high lottery pick next year, and Bagley is now undoubtedly on their radar.