Marvin Bagley III Reclassifies, Commits to Duke
Late Monday night, the top-rated ESPN 100 high school basketball of 2018, 6-foot-11 Marvin Bagley III, announced that not only was he re-classifying to enter NCAA Basketball in this upcoming season, but also that he was going to play at Duke University.
Immediately after announcing his re-classification, ESPN moved Bagley from the #1 spot in 2018 to the #1 spot in 2017, putting him above previous top recruit Michael Porter, Jr., who will be attending the University of Missouri.
Bagley’s decision immediately changes the landscape of College Basketball, as Duke will now likely open the season as the top-ranked team. Bagley makes what was once the #2 recruiting class now the top class in the entire country.
Bagley joins Porter Jr. and Slovenian prodigy Luka Doncic to make a trio of players with a compelling case to be the top pick in next year’s NBA Draft. Bagley is a remarkable player overall, but where he really makes his presence felt is inside, whether it be from his monster dunks, great rebounding, or elite rim-protection. At 6'10, Porter Jr. possesses many elite offensive skills- his athleticism isn’t going to blow anyone away, but he looks ready to become an elite scorer in every sense of the word. As for Doncic, he will be a mystery to the many that won’t watch him playing overseas- but those who do will see his wizardly passing, improving jumper and all-around abilities that will make him one of the top picks.
It’s no secret that many teams in the NBA are tanking right now- with the dominance of the Warriors and Cavaliers, many teams have decided to kick the can down the road and wait for this reign of terror to end. The Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks are all expected to have awful seasons, likely be design as they pursue one of the top prospects.
The Duke Blue Devils may have lost Amile Jefferson, Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles and Frank Jackson, but it seems they will be just as good come next year.
