Marvin Bagley III proud of himself, but team is ‘biggest thing’ after loss to 76ers
If you thought Kings forward Marvin Bagley III showed signs of growth during the third quarter of Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, you should have seen him in the postgame news conference.
Bagley could have said anything when asked what he was most proud of as people begin to recognize improvements in his game. He could have talked about his improved 3-point shooting, his progress on defense, the vindication of the Team Bagley Twitter account or the satisfaction of dunking on every fan, critic or coach who ever doubted him, but that’s not what he said at all.
“I’m just proud of, first of all, how the team is playing,” Bagley said. “That’s the biggest thing. We’re playing very well right now, so that’s the one thing I’m most proud of, but as far as myself, just not giving up, just not quitting.
“I never had any sense of quit in me in my whole life and I won’t start now, so just being able to continue to lock in and continue to know what my big picture is and take steps every day to get to that. That’s what I’m focused on right now at this point in my career. Eventually, I’ll get to where I want to be, and I’ve just got to keep pushing on.”
Bagley finished with 17 points and six rebounds in a 119-111 loss to the 76ers, the top team in the Eastern Conference and one of the biggest, most physical teams in the NBA. Bagley made 6 of 11 from the field and 2 of 5 from 3-point range. He courageously took charges from Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, two of Philadelphia’s biggest, strongest players.
Bagley, who came out of Duke as the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, has appeared in all 24 games for the Kings (12-12) this season after being limited to 13 games becaue of injuries in 2019-20. He is averaging 12.5 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 37.3% from 3-point range.
“I feel great, man,” Bagley said. “Thanks to God and the work I put in (during) the offseason to make sure my body would be ready for a long season. I feel great and my body’s good. I’m just happy I’m making it through these games, and every time I make it through one, I go home at the end of the night and pray, just thank God for putting me in this position to be where I’m at.”
Bagley was especially good during a key stretch in the third quarter against the 76ers (18-7). With just under five minutes remaining, he found himself all alone against Embiid, who is 7 feet tall and 280 pounds. Bagley stepped out on Embiid and got down in a good defensive stance. He maintained position as Embiid gave him a couple of fakes. Bagley then contested the shot nicely, causing the 76ers big man to miss.
Moments later, Bagley grabbed a defensive rebound, came down the floor and set a good screen on Simmons in a pick-and-pop play with Fox. Bagley took the feed from Fox and buried a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to put the Kings up 86-82.
Bagley followed that sequence by taking charges from Embiid and Simmons. Then he threw down an alley-oop dunk that resulted in a three-point play.
“He was great,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “He was a big part of us sticking around, a big part from both ends of the court. He took some charges, got a steal, knocked down a 3. He was playing some winning basketball and it was positive to see. It was a nice growing moment for him.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
