Surprise, surprise: The Warriors took a chance on a player with a checkered past and it’s humming along without a hiccup.
Well, obviously it’s not a surprise. The story of JaVale McGee is a reminder of the indestructible foundation Golden State has cultivated the last three seasons. about one of the happiest work environments the Bay Area has to offer and about a player who is maximizing his talent and personality despite the labels presented against him.
In Oakland, McGee has been allowed to be himself, on and off the basketball court, and he’s adding different dimensions we’ve never seen from this team before.
In their rise to prominence under Steve Kerr, Golden State has never possessed an Alley-oop extraordinaire, or a post player who can serve as a firecracker of energy off the bench in the first quarter. The Warriors are No. 1 in the NBA in bench field goal percentage (53.0) by a mile and McGee’s banging home a career high 68.4 percent of his attempts. Efficiency has been the best word to describe this year’s Warriors squad and McGee is a part of that puzzle.
Last night in Los Angeles, McGee posted 11 points and 8 rebounds in 15 minutes, outplaying DeAndre Jordan. Who would’ve ever guessed the goofball Washington Wizard — who seemed to enjoy the attention and notoriety of his boneheaded plays — would blossom into an asset that could tip the scales in the NBA Finals against a big and bulky Cavaliers team come June?
McGee is as comfortable as he’s ever felt in his career, becoming the latest commodity of Steve Kerr’s shatterproof culture. Every personality — no matter how boisterous or quiet or odd they may be — is embraced. Every skill set is put to use like scattered chess pieces on the hardwood court. Nobody balances the fine line between having fun and flexing a killer instinct more than this basketball team. This is basketball nirvana and McGee is orbiting along with it.
There were little expectations of McGee when he was originally signed on July 30. The 7-footer hadn’t played more than 34 games in the past three seasons because of a litany of lower body injuries. Plus, the Warriors used their first round pick on center Damian Jones had signed David West, kept Anderson Varejao (he was waived on Friday), James Michael McAdoo and had a relatively unknown in Kevon Looney. McGee’s potential had kept him around the NBA maybe longer than he should have been. His wingspan and dunking were always prevalent, but the question marks about maturity and effort seemed to never go away
Gradually, little spoonful by spoonful, McGee’s roles emerged. He developed instant chemistry with Draymond Green and the lob passes have created luscious spacing on the court. Heading into the season, big man was a perceived weakness. Now? A lineup of McGee, Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry is one of the most dangerous sitting in Kerr’s cupboard.
Golden State is the happiest place in the NBA, with sunshine and flowers and rainbows — but it’s also a place where opponents come to get bludgeoned. Now that he’s been nurtured, McGee is basking next to his four superstar teammates, Why? He’s has finally been able to discover how to integrate his personality without being a distraction.
What other Warriors player would have the stones to pull a prank on Green? In an amusing effort to call out the power forward for always snap chatting his teammates sleeping on the airplane, McGee had blankets made of Green’s face sleeping. The blankets were opened on the team plane, shared on social media and became a peak inside at the special chemistry this team has built.
“When you are winning you can do things and people don’t look at it like, ‘Oh, he’s not serious.’ When you are winning, you can do stuff,” McGee said about the blankets.
Had McGee not been claimed by the Warriors right before training camp, could he have ended up overseas in China? The book on his NBA career appeared to be in its final chapters. His story was going to be one of so much athleticism but so many what if’s.
Now it’s not. Now he might have a monster block on LaMarcus Aldridge in the Western Conference Finals. Kerr had to play Varejao in critical moments of Game 7 last season. That role realistically should now rest on McGee’s shoulders. And when superstar players cancel each other out on Golden State and Cleveland, role players are how championships are won.
The flaws in McGee’s game are still prevalent. He can get lured away from his man on defense probably easier than any other player on the Warriors. His attention to detail will always need fine-tuning from Kerr and the coaching staff.
But 50 games into the season, McGee has bursted through the glass ceiling of expectations placed above his head. He’s turned the corner and could be a part of this Warriors dynasty for many years to come.
