Former Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger reportedly never connected with rookie big man Marvin Bagley III in 2018-19, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic.
Joerger and Bagley never got on the same page, so much so that the second overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft wondered privately if Joerger even liked him.
“There were signs throughout the season of these issues. Joerger never seemed to connect with prized rookie Marvin Bagley III, leaving the second overall pick to wonder privately if Joerger even liked him, a source said.”
The Kings fired Joerger last week after a season in which they wildly outperformed expectations, going 39-43 and remaining a factor in the Western Conference playoff race until the last couple weeks of the regular season. They hired former Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton over the weekend, who was long earmarked as a favorite of general manager Vlade Divac. Joerger went 98-148 in three seasons with Sacramento.
Bagley, the second overall pick of the 2018 draft, appeared in 62 games during his rookie season. The lefty averaged 14.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per contest while shooting 50.4 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from beyond the arc and 69.1 percent from the free-throw line.
Divac, who also dismissed several other organizational higher-ups last week, doesn't want there to be any in house tension in Sacramento. The Kings actually have a bright future, so avoiding dysfunction is very important right now.
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