2018 NBA Mock Draft: March is finally here

Bagley returned to the lineup last week and looked mostly like his old self in the game I watched against Virginia Tech.

Duke, however, lost the contest by failing to execute against the Hokies. They tried a zone press for the length of the court on defense, but were consistently burned by the speed of Virginia Tech’s guards. In the half court, players like Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Justin Bibbs were able to make Duke pay for missed rotations in their zone. It was discouraging to see the Blue Devils get out-played by an ACC team ahead of their final matchup with UNC this weekend, and the tournament schedule that lies ahead.

Bagley was as big a culprit as anyone, especially in the half court. He was far too engaged with the ball, chasing guards out to the perimeter as they came off screens. The Hokies made him pay, cutting underneath the basket from corner to corner and coming away open, too far from Bagley to be bothered by his length. Alexander-Walker was 3-8 from distance, and nearly every attempt was open.

Bagley’s scoring was typically efficient, with 12 points on nine shots. However, he was frustrated by Virginia Tech’s aggressive defense throughout the game. In one instance during the first half, he bobbled the ball when a double-team came and nearly turned it over before resetting the offense with a pass to a guard at half court.

He is still learning, but a coach like Rick Carlisle would help a lot.