Marvin Bagley Update

It’s taken Duke’s Marvin Bagley a while to get happy in the NBA, hasn’t it? His tenure in Sacramento was marred with injuries and unhappiness on both sides.

Late in the season, he was traded to Detroit, where he has found a nice role and a team that appreciates him.

In fact, they appreciate him enough to have made him the highest-paid player on the team.

That’s factually true, but it’s also partly because Jalen Duren, Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Killian Hayes and Isaiah Stewart, the young core of the team, aren’t eligible for fatter deals just yet. That would change if they were.

Nonetheless, Bagley is a highly athletic 6-11 and able to open up the court for the guards and also to provide them with a nice target for lobs.

And as the (other) young players mature, you have to like the look of Detroit’s future. Duren and Stewart can do the dirty work inside while Cunningham and Ivey are both highly promising guards. The Pistons are building a serious contender, and Bagley is going to be part of it. That’s got to be thrilling.