Best left-handed Duke basketball players of the past decade

The best Duke basketball lefties of the past decade: Marvin Bagley III

If there was one word to describe Marvin Bagley III, the word I would choose is electric. Fortunately, the NCAA still requires players to be one year removed from high school, which provided Duke basketball fans with the privilege of watching Bagley play. If Bagley had come along 15 years earlier, there is a good chance he would have gone straight to the NBA. He was easily one of the most NBA-ready players to ever come through Durham.

What made Bagley so unique was his combination of size, finesse, and athleticism. Bagley had ridiculous explosiveness and combined that with a plethora of post moves, the agility of a guard, and a relentless motor. He came to Duke as the top-ranked recruit in the country. However, Bagley was not one of those guys who just wanted to get by on hype and still be a high selection in the draft. Rather, he played with a chip on his shoulder, like he had something to prove.

Early on in the 2017-18 season, it was obvious that Bagley wanted to show that he was the best player in college basketball and the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Bagley compiled 25 points along with 10 rebounds in his Duke basketball debut. He followed that up with a near-identical performance of 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Marvin Bagley III made his presence felt on the national stage during the PK80, an early-season tournament held in Portland to honor Nike founder Phil Knight. Bagley opened the tournament with an 18-point,15-rebound performance. He followed that with 34 points and 15 rebounds to beat Texas, a team with an excellent frontcourt headlined by eventual lottery pick Mo Bamba. Bagley kept the momentum going in the title game against Florida, putting up 30 points and 15 rebounds.

Another word to sum up Marvin Bagley III is dunk. That is because he would dunk everything. There was no such thing as layups or floaters when it came to Bagley. Every time he had the chance to, he would throw down a thunderous slam. As soon as the Duke guards crossed halfcourt or were able to get into the lane, they were looking to throw the lob up for Bagley. Throw it anywhere near the hoop, and he was able to get it.

While there were plenty of amazing dunks to enjoy from Bagley, he was much more than just a dunker. He had a very soft touch around the rim and understood how to use his size and athleticism to create scoring opportunities for himself.

He was the focal point of Duke’s offense and a guy opposing teams never seemed to have a good matchup for. If you put a center on Bagley, his ability to be a threat from the outside was able to draw out an opposing team’s big, which opened up the paint for cutters and also his frontcourt mate Wendell Carter Jr.

Bagley could also use his athleticism and ball-handling ability to break down defenders and beat them off the dribble. He could also utilize his 6-foot-11 frame and jumping ability to easily score over smaller defenders. Furthermore, he was one of the best Duke bigs at running the floor I have ever seen. He had the motor to consistently get up and down the court and the speed to outrun most bigs and even some perimeter players.

Marvin Bagley III was not a deadly outside shooter, but he was more than capable of making the outside jumper. He shot just below 40 percent from three, but playing out on the perimeter would have severely diminished the effectiveness and productivity that he provided. Bagley shot an incredible 64 percent on 2-point field goals, which was third-best in the ACC.

Staying on the theme of using one word to describe Bagley, I might as well go ahead and use the word dominant. Bagley led the ACC in total field goals made with 270, total field goal percentage at over 61 percent, 2-point field goals with 247, points per game with 21.0, total offensive rebounds with 132, total rebounds per game with 11.1, player efficiency rating, effective field goal percentage, offensive rating, win shares, and offensive box plus/minus.

Given that Bagley dominated in almost every offensive category, it was certainly no surprise that he was named ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. He also had some incredible performances in March. He had 33 points and 17 rebounds to beat Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament. He also scored 19 points and 13 rebounds in a tough loss to UNC.

Bagley also played some of his best basketball in the NCAA Tournament, helping the Blue Devils on their run to the Elite Eight. Bagley scored 22 points in each of Duke’s first three tournament games. Duke unfortunately fell short in an instant classic against Kansas in the Elite Eight.

Despite the tough ending to the season, Bagley had one of the best single seasons in Duke basketball history, even as a freshman. He was an incredibly fun player to watch and a guy who consistently produced for Duke. He played extremely hard and always seemed to do whatever the team needed to get a victory.