Is Marvin Bagley a Reincarnation of Joe Smith?

Watching Marvin Bagley I am reminded of another former top pick, Joe Smith. While Smith had a long and productive career, he disappointed…

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Were the Kings Checkmated by the Marvin Bagley selection?

Is Marvin Bagley a Reincarnation of Joe Smith?

Watching Marvin Bagley I am reminded of another former top pick, Joe Smith. While Smith had a long and productive career, he disappointed because he was just another guy, not an impact star you expect from a top pick. This doesn’t bode well for Sacramento given they’ve erred on many of their recent selections and passed this year on two players who look already look like stars (Luka Doncic and Jaren Jackson Jr.).

The Comparison:

Similar size (Smith 6’10” 225 lbs vs. Bagley 6’11” 233 lbs.), both are left-handed, and attended top ACC hoops programs (Maryland where Smith led to deep tourney success and Duke). They each were immediate stars in college, all ACC selections and all Americans. Behind the measurables, they have similar playing styles, slashing “bigs”. They both thrived at the college level with a quick to the basket finish game.

Smith was in many ways ahead of his time as a “big” who could guard wings, and a more “wing” compatible offensive approach during an era where that wasn’t valued (or used). The issue though is neither are true wings, they lack the handles or consistency from outside the arc to extend the defense. So they play like a below average wing who lack a dominant in the paint either. In short, they’re good position less “bigs” who aren’t dominant at any particular area, meaning they’re just average.

What does this mean?

It is not fair to typecast Bagley only a few summer league games into his career. However I see what I see (I attended the California Classic mini summer league in Sacramento last week and watched two other games on TV), which is Bagley eerily reminds me of Joe Smith. This wouldn’t be a total bust, however, it’s not what Sacramento needs. They need a star, a franchise face, a Chris Webber type they can build around. If Bagley isn’t that player, if he’s just Joe Smith, then another handful of Kings fan years will be wasted. We won’t know for another year or two but the start of the Marvin Bagley era (and the options they passed on) are not trending in the right direction.