Take of the week: Marvin Bagley III is not a bad defender—he's a weapon

Bagley has stepped up on defense in Duke's new zone, Levy argues.
Bagley has stepped up on defense in Duke's new zone, Levy argues.

While Marvin Bagley III is clearly a transcendent offensive talent, some have questioned his defensive ability, including The Chronicle's Ben Leonard. 

ESPN College Gameday's Seth Greenberg also feels this way. On Saturday before Duke downed North Carolina, Greenberg broke down the Blue Devils' 2-3 zone. To show the zone's strengths, he showed a play from the Clemson that had Javin DeLaurier on the floor while Marvin Bagley III was nursing a knee injury. 

But expose the zone's weaknesses, Greenberg used the telestrator to key in on Bagley getting drawn too high up on the wing in the zone and leaving a shooter open in the corner. As the play was shown on the big screen in Cameron Indoor Stadium, I heard a fan yell, “We get it. He’s a bad defender.” 

ESPN personalities, such as Seth Greenberg, have been perpetuating this take for most of the season. But the idea that Bagley is a poor defender is simply not true. 

I will concede that before Bagley’s injury, he did tend to struggle on the defensive side of the ball. But it was not because of his lack of ability, but rather due to defensive scheming. Like most past Duke teams in the past, the Blue Devils started out the season in man-to-man defense. 

Defending the pick and roll is a tough adjustment for most freshmen, especially being thrown into a lineup with three other freshmen who have not defended at the college level before. He was also tasked with guarding the biggest men on the court, who tended to be older and stronger. 

Duke’s transition to the zone has given a chance for Bagley to accentuate his strengths, rather than expose his weaknesses, and the Blue Devil defense has been much improved because of it. In his first game back against Syracuse, the team held the Orange to 44 points, the lowest total Duke surrendered to an ACC opponent since 2011. 

In that game, Bagley had the highest defensive rating among forwards on the team. When Duke beat North Carolina, the power forward from Duke had 2 blocks and added a steal. He now has jumped to have the third-best defensive rating in the starting lineup, ahead of DeLaurier and Wendell Carter Jr.

Duke's switch to the zone has made better use of Bagley’s length and agility. His ability to close out in the corners, bother shooters and have a better defensive rebounding presence has strengthened an already-improving Duke defense. Since his return, the Blue Devil defense has risen in basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy's adjusted defensive rankings from No. 28 to No. 10. 

Bagley isn't a liability on defense—he's a weapon. 

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