Detroit Pistons: Weaver has plans for Marvin Bagley III beyond this season

General manager Troy Weaver says he plans to have Marvin Bagley III on this Detroit Pistons roster beyond this season.

Some folks wondered if adding Bagley, a pending restricted free agent at the end of this season, was brought in for a 20-game audition.  The Pistons have been lacking depth at the five all season long, with the only real option being second-year center Isaiah Stewart regularly available.

The Detroit Pistons lost their top offseason free-agent addition, Kelly Olynyk, for a large portion of the season to injury, and rookie center Luka Garza isn’t quite polished enough to be a regular in the NBA.

Garza has shown flashes at times this season, but it’s become evident that he’s best off suited to work on his craft in the G-League, where he can see extensive minutes rather than being an end of the bench big-man on the Detroit Pistons roster where he sees the court in more of a ‘mop-up’ role or when he’s pressed into duty due to injuries.

The Detroit Pistons provide Marvin Bagley a chance to hit the reset button.

Bagley joins the Detroit Pistons via the Sacramento Kings in a four-team trade.  The Pistons sent Josh Jackson, Trey Lyles, and a pair of second-round picks to land the former no. 2 overall pick.  Bagley certainly entered the NBA with massive expectations, and it’s been widely documented recently that Bagley had been selected ahead of Trae Young and Luka Doncic.

Bagley has been limited throughout his career due to a plethora of injuries.  Two years ago, Bagley appeared in just 13 games; last season, he played in 43.  Bagley often found himself in and out of the rotation with the Kings during his young career.

Recently, Weaver joined 971’s The Ticket’s Stoney and Jansen with Heather and mentioned that the organization has plans for the 22-year old big man beyond this season.

"“He’s a young man that we like. We wanted to bring him in and see how he fit with the group, but our plans are to continue working with Marvin and grow him and hopefully he can move forward with us in the future. That’s the plan, for him to be with us. We’re excited about the talent and we’re excited about him moving forward with the group. (In his debut) last night, the guy just had one practice (with us) and was trying to feel his way, but I thought he had some nice moments. But when he’s comfortable, we expect to see his talent really pop on the floor for us.”"

Marvin Bagley played well in his debut with the Detroit Pistons.

In his debut with the Pistons, Bagley scored 10 points and pulled down eight boards in 21 minutes of work coming off the bench.  It wasn’t a bad showing from the 22-year old understanding that he had just one practice with this group and hadn’t played in a couple of weeks.

Bagley worked well in relief of Stewart, playing in the dunk position on offense, allowing Olynyk to play at the four where he’s better suited.  He also played well in the post, rolled nicely to the rim, and created plenty of second-shot opportunities for the Pistons.

I look forward to seeing how Bagley fits in with this youthful Pistons roster as he becomes more comfortable with his new teammates down the stretch.