Your characterization of Bogs as an average SG is unfair. Dude has had a horrible shooting year but he's a brilliant pick and roll wizard who can guard three positions. How does a guy plummet from 39% on 3s as a rookie to 34%? Do you consider last year a fluke? I don't. I expected him to build on that a-la Buddy not regress sharply. His role has been ill-defined though a superior player would overcome this. He was asked to play more PG after Mason struggled and more of scoring guard than Mason in Yogi took his place. Getting others involved and getting his own was a balance he has struggled with. In two crucial losses Bogi was 3-13 at the Wolves and 3-15 at home vs the Clippers. That difference right there between two wins vs losses. When you are in shooting slump for this duration it becomes more than a slump and it may be necessary to revise the ceiling. I still assert however Bogi is one of the best players on our team underperforming.
The number of misses Bogi has had in pivotal moments is disconcerting. Second to Willie, who is not only one of the worst starting centers in the league but one of the worst starting players in the NBA, unlikely to ever start another NBA game after this year, once we let him walk, Bogi is second to blame if and when we miss out on the postseason. He has absolutely failed us in key moments. But unlike Willie who I think is a below average player who has played below average, I think Bogi is an above average player who has not played nearly to his potential. Compounding this our playoff prospects went from 50/50 to where it currently stands, around 10-20%, when Bagley went down. We went from a pretender pre-deadline to a contender when we added Barnes, the best wing defender we have had since Ron Artest. Barnes quickly has become one of my favorite players with his presence and attention to detail. It was all coming together then Brogdon set a dirty pick.
With Bagley giving us 20/10, and Barnes starting to fit in, we were a playoff team. We'd probably be 2 games back of the Spurs now, winning 2 of the 3 vs the Bucks, Clips or Celtics instead of 0-3. The misses by Bogi and others become lob passes to Marvin or other delightful executions. We have not seen Barnes make his shots with Bagley on the floor together. That will make us more potent and relentless in our attack. Barnes is comfortable now. When MB3 went down he was still getting acclimated. With a healthy Bagley and Barnes giving us 18 PPG and playing tough D, this is a playoff team even with the weakness with Wille. That is enough of an Achilles to overcome. That team is better than the Spurs. No doubt in my mind.
All things considered, (1) Bagley avoided an ACL which would have be a catastrophe especially since he is a player who relies on explosiveness and (2) we got a core player to go with our core for free, we are in a bullish spot for many year. It bears emphasis we got a core player who immediately become our second or best defender with Fox, relatively young, 40% three point shooter, guards post and wing, for free! Targeting Jordan Bell (not Vucevic) and Kevin Durant, tearing up Barnes player option and signing him to 3 + 1 for 60-70 million, rescinding the QO on Willie are the prudent courses of action. There is still an outside chance we make one last push and we should not throw in the towel until elimination is a certitude. There is an urgency now, a do or die, win or go home, and maybe that will bring out the best. I also expect us to trade Bjelica this summer. The future is bright despite these heartbreaking defeats so heal your heart and remember your shades
