The Sacramento Kings wasted no time in making Luke Walton their new head coach. Now, it appears his first order of business will be figuring out a way to build around big man Marvin Bagley III.
Walton is taking over one of the most talented young rosters in the league. And per Blake Ellington of Sactown Royalty, Walton told Bagley that he will likely be the focal point of any schemes on both sides of the floor:
“I told him I think he is going to be a big part of what we do, and we need him to continue to improve, and his versatility, him defending multiple positions will ultimately be a big factor in how much success and how many different defensive schemes we can use. Players like him and Harry (Giles), and some of those bigger versatile guys that we have. I'll have a clearer picture of those things the more I get to start to working with these guys and see what their strengths and weaknesses are.”
Luke Walton's excitement is certainly understandable. Marvin Bagley III showed plenty of promise throughout the 2018-19 NBA season. He finished his rookie campaign averaging 14.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and a block per game. More importantly, he led a surprising resurgence that saw the Kings finish as the ninth seed in the competitive Western Conference.
Walton is certainly no stranger to working with young talent following his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. Fortunately, the Kings seem to be much more committed to building their core as opposed to the Lakers. This will allow Walton to make sure the development of players like Bagley is a top priority while they compete to make the playoffs moving forward.
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