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Marvin Bagley’s Mavericks debut was way better than anyone expected originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It wasn’t even immediately clear that the Dallas Mavericks would keep Marvin Bagley on their roster after getting him in the Anthony Davis trade from the Washington Wizards.
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But not only did they not buy Bagley out. He also made quite the impression in his team debut.
On Saturday night against the San Antonio Spurs, Bagley put up 16 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked four shots.
It’s the first time a Mavericks player has put up that combination of statistics off the bench in a decade, with David Lee being the last to do it.
It’s also just a fascinating immediate statement from Bagley.
This is a guy who has been considered a bust his whole career. He went No. 2 in the NBA Draft the same year Luka Doncic went to the Mavs at No. 3.
Bagley hasn’t been a bad player, but he’s never been dominant or impactful on winning.
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Shoot, even on Saturday night, his big game came in a sizable defeat.
But all Bagley can do is try to show he still belongs as a key NBA contributor, and that’s what he did.
If the Mavs keep giving Bagley chances, he’ll have to continue to show that he can have nights like this. That might allow him to stick around longer than anyone expected.
