Marvin Bagley to reclassify to 2017, join Duke, 2018 NBA Draft

The nation's top recruit, Marvin Bagley III, has announced he will reclassify to the 2017 college recruiting class to join the Duke Blue Devils, making him eligible to join the 2018 NBA Draft next spring.

Appearing on ESPN'S SportsCenter to announce his decision of schools, Bagley said (per ESPN's Paul Biancardi):

"I would like to thank Danny Ferry and Coach K for allowing me to wear his retired No. 35 at Duke University ... I've always liked Duke. It's a special place. And you have to be special to be a part of it. So I'm just blessed. I thank God every day for allowing me to see schools like that and just be in a position to go to a place like that. So I'm very thankful."

The jersey in question, the number of which (35) was retired to honor former Blue Devil Ferry (1985-89), who has evidently allowed Bagley to wear his retired number. No small honor, as the former Atlanta Hawks executive is one of Duke's all-time great players.

Perhaps most interesting to Boston Celtics fans is the fact that his entry into the college game this season strengthens the overall quality of the draft in a season the Celts are very likely to have at least one top-five draft pick, with a shot at landing two should the results of Danny Ainge trading back in the 2017 NBA Draft come to fruition. With talents like DeAndre Ayton and Michael Porter Jr. already in the mix, the top of next year's draft looks to be very good indeed.


Whatever selections Boston has at their disposal come next June, I am excited we'll have a shot at this kid - and not just because of the prospect of reuniting a Bagley with a Bird (in this case, Jabari) on our roster.

For more stories about the offseason on CelticsLife, click here. For more by Justin, click here.



Image: 247Sports
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