It's been a while since the Denver Nuggets had a backup center who could hold down the non-Nikola Jokic minutes. Okay, they've never really had a center that worked out well in that role. But the number two pick of the 2018 NBA draft, Marvin Bagley III, could finally, after many years, be the answer. He's not like the other centers who came before him, and the first few days of Nuggets training camp show that may be a really good thing.
Over the past five seasons, the Nuggets have had a net rating of -7.5 without Jokic on the court, and it's been a time when they've wasted leads. The only two centers who even did decent, at best, were DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins and Jonas Valanciunas. Neither was a good defender, and Big Val wasn't nearly as athletic or mobile as Bagley is.
Bagley could finally be the answer at backup center
There's a lot of optimism around Bagley's potential this season. For a couple of reasons. Bagley's defense has improved throughout his career, and he showed on day one of training camp that his quick hands and athleticism are already going to help the Nuggets' second unit more than Valanciunas did last year.
Harrison Wind provided a video showing Bagley with the second unit making a quick reach on Cameron Johnson, knocking the ball loose and using his speed to break down the court for a dunk. When is the last time we saw a backup center do that for the Nuggets?
Bagley is also an above-average defender inside six feet. Opponents shot 6.8% worse with Bagley as the primary defender at the rim, ranking him in the 79th percentile. He even gave Jokic good pressure in the Nuggets' first scrimmage, according to head coach David Adelman. "I think Marvin pushed Nikola, which is good," Adelman said.
Bagley's offense is above average, too
But it's not just the defense that's going to help Bagley stand apart from the backup centers who came before him.
Bagley also runs the pick-and-roll well on offense, and he can draw out defenders from the paint with a three-point shot that blossomed last year. Bagley shot an absurd 48.5% from downtown on 1.5 attempts per game over 22 games with the Dallas Mavericks in the second half of last season. He also shot an efficient 64.1% from two last year.
That level of three-point accuracy isn't likely to hold up. But as long as he's a threat, it'll draw his defender out of the paint, which could create even more scoring and playmaking chances for the second unit. Bagley averaged 11.0 points and 6.8 rebounds in just 21.4 minutes with the Mavs, showing he's a strong option to target.
All in all, Bagley has the potential to finally change the non-Jokic minutes. If he does indeed close the net-rating gap, the Nuggets will go a long way in 2026-27.
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