I've been trying to pinpoint what bothers me about him. Or rather, not about him but about his current role on the team. I've decided I don't like the way he distorts both the offense and the defense.
On offense, he is using 29.6% of available possessions. The next highest is Duval at 21%, and I am guessing that would be lower if not for the turnovers. Then come Allen and Carter at a little over 20%. While that may be right for Carter, that seems like waaayyy too big of a gap between Bagley and Allen, especially when we consider Allen's ridiculous offensive efficiency of 135 (even with his recent offensive struggles). Whether or not Bagley really is that much better than Allen is not what I want to argue. But is it ideal for your offense, when you have other great players, to allow one guy to dominate that much? I would wager that history says it isn't. It makes the offense predictable, and as the year goes on we will be easier to defend, no matter how transcendent Bagley is. Granted, it may seem ridiculous to complain about the #1 offense.
On defense, he concedes way too many baskets. I am talking just standing there while someone dunks three feet from him. Sometimes he gives great effort, but often it feels like he has been told not to even risk fouling under any circumstances. Jabari Parker and the senior version of Mason Plumlee seemed to have the same instructions. Meanwhile, it feels like Carter ends up as the sacrificial lamb. Not only will K yank him if he isn't defending well, but it also feels like he encounters foul trouble because he is not allowed to concede in the same way. So it's a double standard, and it's one that exists in order to keep our "best" player on the floor, but I am not even sure that he is that. After all, our best performance came when he was blind and in the locker room. I know Allen has been injured, but I don't think it's a coincidence that he looked best when not sharing the court with a guy using 30% of the possessions in stagnant, predictable half court sets. And from a selfish standpoint, I would like to see our senior captain, who is an amazing player in his own right, get more shots.
None of this is really Bagley's fault, I suppose. And none of it is really unfixable. Just run more screens for Allen. And on defense, tell Bagley it's okay to pick up a foul or two. He's a driven, high motor guy, so I doubt he wants to suck on that end of the floor.