Rookie Marvin Bagley III moves into Kings’ starting lineup. Is it a temporary move?
The Kings created a stir among fans before Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves when the team announced rookie big man Marvin Bagley III would be in the starting lineup.
Bagley started at power forward with De’Aaron Fox at point guard, Buddy Hield at shooting guard, Harrison Barnes at small forward and Willie Cauley-Stein at center. As a member of the visiting team, Bagley received an unceremonious introduction with a subdued response from the crowd, but Kings fans on social media were much more excited about coach Dave Joerger’s decision to start Bagley.
Bagley, the No. 2 pick in last summer’s NBA Draft, made just the second start of his career. He had 22 points and 11 rebounds in his only other start Jan. 22 against the Toronto Raptors on a night when Joerger elected to rest Nemanja Bjelica, who was the starting power forward at the time.
The timing of this move was curious considering Joerger just announced last week his decision to move Barnes from small forward to power forward in an effort to maintain tempo and floor spacing. Joerger did not disclose his decision to start Bagley during his pregame news conference in Minneapolis. It was not immediately clear whether Joerger intended to stick with this lineup going forward or if it was a temporary move based on matchups with the Timberwolves.
This story was originally published February 25, 2019 at 5:46 PM.
