The future remains murky for oft-injured Kings power forward Marvin Bagley III, a talented scorer who still needs to develop on defense, writes Jason Jones of The Athletic.
On Sunday, during his second game back after his latest injury, a left hand bone fracture that kept him sidelined for 22 contests, Bagley showed flashes of the potential that made him so highly coveted out of Duke, racking up 23 points and nine rebounds. The Kings selected Bagley with the No. 2 draft pick in 2018 ahead of future All-Stars Luka Doncic and Trae Young.
“Obviously nobody plans to get a hand caught in a jersey and break your hand, but you can’t control things like that,” Bagley said of his latest injury for the Kings. “What I could control was how I prepared to come back and things that I was doing to make sure I was ready when I did come back.”
Sacramento previously picked up Bagley’s $11.3MM player option for 2021/22. As Jones writes, while Bagley was rumored to be a potential trade candidate in March, the Kings couldn’t find a deal that would net them enough of a return to be worth pursuing.
There’s more out of California:
- Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has liked what he’s seen out of forward Juan Toscano-Anderson, writes Alex Espinoza of NBC Sports Bay Area. Currently inked to a two-way deal with Golden State, has fought his way into the Warriors’ rotation through his moxie and hustle, averaging 5.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.4 APG across 19.5 MPG. “We’ll see how it plays out,” Kerr said to reporters about a potential long-term deal with Toscano-Anderson after this season. “Juan is clearly a very effective NBA player. We’d like to have him here for a long time.”
- Though the Warriors have been waylaid by injuries that have impacted their roster depth, they currently have two roster spots empty in a calculated cost-saving decision. Anthony Slater of The Athletic wonders if the club’s choice warrants further scrutiny, considering that it still fighting for a play-in tournament spot during a standout year from All-Star point guard Stephen Curry.
- Lakers guard Alex Caruso has had to take on more play-making duties for Los Angeles with key ball-handlers LeBron James and Dennis Schroder both sidelined, as Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register writes.
Even with a career year from Curry, Warriors are nothing but 1st round fodder for one of the top teams in the west. I’m sure that if it looked like they had a realistic chance of winning a chip they would have filled those two spots and ate the tax implications.
They don’t have the guns to be champs this year. They have a hard time matching up against a much bigger team. one thing they will be is the team you don’t want to face in the playoffs. if curry is having one of those games Warriors will win but its going to be impossible for him to have 4 great games in a series.
GSW definitely are a rudderless ship. If this season doesn’t mean anything, then why not shut Curry down? The problem is when Klay went down the FO didn’t think “how can we win a chip from here?” they went “oh well, seasons over, who cares?” All the people at the top did everything they could to blow a career year from a generational player, while never once coming out and saying whether this is a tank year or a contending one, and their non-moves and the scrubs they got this year prove it – morons, all.
Kent Bazemore shouldn’t be in the NBA, he should be paying us to watch him play. Steph Curry always deserved better than that, instead the arrogants at the top just laughed at him and said “nah, good luck with these g leaguers”.
Lol Bazemore is doing exactly what they signed him to do. He was never supposed to be playing this much. Every signing/trade with the exception of Oubre was meant for a team with Klay on it. Once he went down the whole plan went down. They would have constructed the roster differently if they knew he was going to be out for the year. Give it a rest, this season has been tough but if you’ve been a Warrior fan for more than six years this season is still better than the previous 25 before that.
Assuming they even reach the first round…..
Just making the bubble is more than the rockets will do for the next 3 years.
So you must be Marty McRae other alias. He thinks Kyle Korver can replace Klay Thompson.
Kyle Korver had 2.5 WS last season for the Bucks, that’s more than Bazemore, Oubre, Mulder, Poole, Paschall, Wiseman, Wanamaker and Mannion have this year for GSW. Yet, he has sat all season long. He’s a shooter, GSW need shooters. He’s had plenty of rest, so his age is no worry…but, leaving roster spaces open and playing 8 men for entire road stretches…light years, yeah right.
Korver can’t play defense. Mulder is a better player than Korver. He is a liability on defense. Warriors would be worse with him.
Steve Kerr proved he can only coach a talented roster. He needs to get onto politics because he sure can’t call a decent play after a TO. My God I can draw up better plays.
After this season, Pop has to be furious at the media relentlessly telling everyone Kerr was on his level. I would be terrified of SAS if I were GSW fans, because Pop is going to destroy Kerr in a play-in, with malice.
Let’s be realistic. Do you really believe that Kyle Korver is a realistic replacement Klay Thompson. Marty McRae believes that a career stiff like Kyle Korver is a replacement for Klay Thompson. There is no reason to believe that Kyle Korver could replace Klay Thompson. I don’t know what Marty McRae is thinking. I’m still trying to understand how Marty McRae believes that 40 year old Kyle Korver could replace Klay Thompson.
That’s true of every coach. Notice how Pop, arguably the best coach in history if not one of the best, hasn’t coached a contender for a title since Leonard left? It takes a good coach with good stars to win not one or the other.
So you believe that kyle Korver is a better player than Kawhi Leonard or Klay Thompson.
Spike no you can’t.
I think right about now. Dell Curry can think he is great father. He raised some great sons.
In the 2018-19, there was one thing that Korver did at the same rate as Thompson. 3P% on catch and shoot 3s (40.5% vs. 40.3%). Thompson played 34 min/game vs 19 for Korver.
Back to the point at hand, the Warriors are knowingly carrying two open roster spots in what is allegedly a run at the playoffs, and allowing Curry to carry them to the point of burnout. There’s already two things wrong with that, and that’s before we get to the question of whether they actually have a shot at getting past the play-in, or whether Kerr is really a good coach.
Let’s just stipulate that this team is poorly run now, with questionable motives, before we draw conclusions about the coaching. The roster construction and tax hit situation lays at the feet of the front office and ownership, which apparently is willing to push Curry to the limit this season for what in essence is nothing.
Bagley enjoys being on a suck team…