I don't think Marvin Bagley III should be remembered as simply a “bust.”

Bagley obviously had his own problems. The injuries were a major factor, and he never became the scorer or defender people expected from a No. 2 pick. But Sacramento also put him in a situation that made it harder for him to succeed.

The first issue was the fit. Sacramento already had Willie Cauley-Stein at center when Bagley arrived, and Bagley spent much of his early career moving between power forward and center. The Kings also had a young De'Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield who were becoming major parts of the offense. Bagley wasn't given a simple role where he could consistently play to his strengths as a mobile big who could run the floor, finish around the rim and eventually stretch the floor.

Then there was the way the roster changed around him. Sacramento added Harrison Barnes, Richaun Holmes and other frontcourt pieces while Bagley's own availability became less reliable. He played 62 games as a rookie, only 13 games in 2019-20, and 43 games in 2020-21. Every time he needed to build some momentum, another injury interrupted it.

The Kings eventually stopped treating him like part of their future. By the 2021-22 season, Bagley was barely playing before being traded to Detroit.

That's why I don't think the No. 2 pick alone tells the whole story.

If Bagley had fallen further in the 2018 Draft, he could have landed in a completely different situation. The Bulls, 76ers or Clippers were among the teams picking later, and each situation would've given him different teammates, coaching and expectations. I'm not saying any of those teams would've turned him into a star. We simply don't know.

I actually talked about a similar issue a couple months ago in my posts about the DeMarcus Cousins situation and Acuff Jr. situation. Those situations aren't the same as Bagley's, but they made me think about how quickly we put the blame on a player without looking at the organization around him.

And Bagley's career right now is another reason I don't love the “bust” label.

He's still in the league and has found a useful role as a big who can play both forward and center. He's coming off a 2025-26 season where he averaged 10.5 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 61.8% from the field and 46.2% from three.

He now has another chance in Denver. I hope he keeps building on what he's doing and continues to find his place in the league.

Maybe Bagley was never going to become the player people imagined when Sacramento took him second.

But I don't think Sacramento was the right place for him to find out what he could actually become.