Star prospect Marvin Bagley III has confirmed that he’ll be entering his name in the 2018 NBA draft pool. Bagley made the announcement today in a post on his Instagram account, with the Duke basketball program confirming the decision in a press release of its own.
“No freshman has done more in his freshman year than Marvin,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. “He’s broken every record and he’s really represented us at the highest level. I’m proud of him because he came in late and he adapted at the highest level. We wish him well. He and his family have prepared him well for this move. He’s ready. I can only see great things happening for him.”
Long considered one of the standouts in the 2018 draft class, Bagley had an excellent freshman season at Duke in 2017/18, averaging a double-double for the Blue Devils. In 33 games, the 6’11” forward/center posted an impressive 21.1 PPG and 11.1 RPG to go along with a .614/.397/.627 shooting line.
While Bagley may not be the first player off the board in June, he’s a very good bet to be a top-five pick. In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony had Bagley selected third overall, praising the youngster’s “athleticism, motor, rebounding, finishing ability, and overall productivity.” Givony has Bagley ranked fourth overall on his top 100, behind only Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic, and Jaren Jackson Jr.
While neither Bagley or Duke said anything specific about the big man signing with an agent, the wording of both announcements makes it clear he’s not just testing the waters — he’ll forgo his remaining years of NCAA eligibility.
How does Givony have them ranked better than Bagley? His numbers are better than all three mentioned. Bagley and Ayton should be 1 and 2 in either order.
Since when are the numbers you put up the sole factor in draft positioning?
And you cant compare him numberwise to Doncic since he is playing profession ball vs. college.
Yes. This is difficult when using just scoring numbers. Even if they all played in the states, they play, most drafts, in different conferences and many times at different levels (division I vs division II) so it’s difficult to assign just points as a barometer.
I thought I was a fan of JJJ, but ahead of Bagley? Givony has me there. I think Jackson will be good but foul-prone.
Bagley just after Ayton I can see, but 4th? No way.