Dave Joerger Needs To Wise Up And Put Marvin Bagley And Harry Giles In The Starting Lineup
It’s time Dave Joerger start Marvin Bagley III and Harry Giles. They are the best option at the PF/C spot for the Sacramento Kings. With 12 games remaining, we need to see what the pair have to offer in an expanded role.
Willie Cauley-Stein might be the worst starter in the NBA. His lack of effort and hustle is well documented. Giles and Bagley provide everything Cauley-Stein doesn’t. They are young and hungry. There’s really no excuse for Joerger to pull the trigger now that the Kings are pretty much out of the playoff picture. Consider what Bagley and Giles have already done with expanded roles.
Giles, when playing 20-29 minutes, averages 13.6 points and 4.9 rebounds. He’s also a +3.1 on the court. With +/- taking such precedence in today’s NBA, take into account Giles -2.5 rating when playing 10-19 minutes and -33.3 when playing 0-9. The stats show when he’s on the court for an expanded role, the Kings are a much better defensive team.
As for Bagley, he’s a completely different player when starting. With averages of 23.5 points and 11 rebounds, Bagley is a monster on the court as a member of the starting 5. Keep in mind, he’s only started 2 games. There’s enough proof to show he’s better as a member of the starting 5. As a starter, Bagley accounts for 57.1 percent of the team’s blocked shots. That’s impressive.
Bagley has started games for the Kings before. On the other hand, Giles has always come off the bench. It’ll be interesting to see how Giles reacts to starting. He’s done well given extended minutes. Don’t expect him to crumble under the pressure. Giles has come through in dire situations for the Sacramento Kings before. Starting the game shouldn’t be an issue at all.
While the actual +/- is when Bagley and Giles share the court is unknown, they play well together. Both went to Duke and are very close. It shows on the court. The two have great chemistry. There are some things the duo need to work on, though.
Giles and Bagley need to develop a more consistent three-ball, especially if they start at PF/C. Someone will need to stretch the court. The Kings have used Harrison Barnes and Nemanja Bjelica as the stretch 4 this season. Both have played the role effectively. There are doubts Giles can do this. Bagley is adequate at launching the 3 and stretching the floor. A bit more improvement is needed. It’s not their game, although, Bagley has a step up in this instance.
The Sacramento Kings have Harry Giles and Marvin Bagley for the foreseeable future. Willie Cauley-Stein isn’t guaranteed to come back next season. Dave Joerger needs to understand this and see what he has with the two former Blue Devils in the starting unit. It’s not only a move fans want to see, but it’s a move that’s necessary.
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Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
