Javale McGee needs more minutes in Blazers’ series due to defensive impact
By Derek Tahara
In Game 1 on Sunday, Javale McGee played his first playoff game with the Golden State Warriors and had a big impact the moment he stepped on the floor. He caught lobs, hustled for loose balls and was a menace on the defensive end. Instead of going through both sides of the floor on how McGee could impact this series, I will focus on the defensive end.
Overall, on Sunday, McGee was a +9 when he was on the floor. McGee gives the team a more traditional big man in the middle with his shot-altering and shot-blocking capabilities. He had a couple blocks in the game, including a huge volleyball spike on Blazers star Damian Lillard.
Here is the block by McGee that leads to a Stephen Curry three at the offensive end.
(Via @mikeanddrewsportss)
Now, not only did McGee block Lillard, but notice how he came to help when Lillard beat Curry off the dribble. This is an area where McGee could help extensively with Draymond Green and Kevin Durant being the two big shot-blockers on the Warriors. It is also McGee’s awareness that Curry got beat off the dribble and came to help.
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McGee will help in trying to contain Lillard and C.J. McCollum, the other explosive backcourt star for Portland, by hedging a screen that is set at the top on Curry or Klay Thompson and recover in blocking or altering the shots of Lillard and McCollum. Sadly, this is something that Zaza Pachulia has trouble with because his lateral quickness is not quite there to stay in front of the two Blazer guards.
What McGee will also provide is another psychological advantage on the defensive interior for the Warriors. If he starts to alter and block Portland’s shots (especially Lillard and McCollum), it will make the Blazers to have to make perimeter shots. The Blazers are more than capable of making a barrage of perimeter shots, but when those shots are not falling, they are relegated to going to the rim with the hyper-athletic McGee.
Now, I think McGee should get more playing time than Pachulia, but only if Jusuf Nurkic does not play hardly in this series. The physicality that Nurkic brings calls for Pachulia to bring his hard hat and McGee is not the physical specimen that Pachulia is to muscle inside with Nurkic. If McGee sees more playing time, watch how often Portland goes to the rim (especially Lillard and McCollum) and how many shots McGee can block and alter.