Why Kings’ Marvin Bagley, Harry Giles might not play in same lineup for awhile
Kings fans eager to see the team’s rookie big men on the floor together may have to wait awhile before they get their wish.
Coach Dave Joerger indicated it could be some time before he’s comfortable playing Marvin Bagley III and Harry Giles III in the same lineup, but he said it could happen eventually.
“Yeah, down the line, in the future,” Joerger said following the second day of training camp at Golden 1 Center. “There are a lot of guys at those positions, so how is it going to work itself out?
“It’s not going to take 10 games. It’s going to take a process of a year, or a year and a half, of who lays claim to which position. It’s certainly possible. I have them currently not playing the same position. I think they’re different for what we’re trying to do.”
Bagley, the second overall pick in June’s NBA draft, is listed as a forward. Giles, who sat out last season after being selected with the 20th pick in the 2017 draft, is listed as a forward/center.
Joerger would not say which positions Bagley and Giles will play when the team opens its preseason schedule Monday in Phoenix, but Bagley provided a clue into Joerger’s thinking when he was asked which position he is playing in practice.
“I’m more four (power forward),” Bagley said. “(Joerger) said it’s the four, but I’m still on the perimeter, cutting through, setting screens and expanding my game a little bit, so that’s what I like about the system and I’m excited for it.”
Kings general manager Vlade Divac has even suggested Bagley might be capable of logging minutes at small forward due to his lateral quickness on defense. Bagley said he’s comfortable doing whatever the Kings ask.
“I’m used to playing a lot of different positions,” Bagley said. “In high school, I was a guard sometimes, bringing the ball up, calling the play. I was in different positions, so for me it’s just about learning where to go in this system – in an NBA system – and the different terminology they have. Once I get that down, once I get used to that, I’ll start to calm down and settle down a little bit, and I think I’ll get it figured out.”
Joerger said the best thing Bagley can do at this point is to be an “energy guy.”
“He’s a good rebounder, he uses his athleticism (and has) pretty good hands, so be that,” Joerger said. “The game’s going awful fast for him. (He is) trying to learn different places of where to be and those kinds of things, so just be athletic, be an energy guy and try to fit in.”