Warriors: JaVale McGee Has Earned His Spot in the Starting Lineup
The Warriors are undefeated after the All-Star break, and inserting JaVale McGee into the lineup has been important to their success.
Throughout the season, JaVale McGee has been an afterthought as Jordan Bell and Kevon Looney were ahead of him on the bench. He was fifth on the depth chart at the center position. There was even speculation that McGee would be traded at the deadline due to his reduced role on the team. But due to an injury to Bell and inconsistent play from Zaza Pachulia, McGee’s role has changed dramatically.
After the All-Star break, Steve Kerr replaced Pachulia with McGee in the starting lineup. This decision came as a shock because Pachulia had started every game this season when healthy. Kerr explained that McGee was starting because the Warriors were getting off to awful starts and wanted McGee to produce a spark. This move seemed long overdue as most Warriors’ fans that have been clamoring for this most of the season. The move has paid immediate dividends and the Warriors have not lost since the All-Star break.
The Warriors are 7-0 since the break and 11-0 overall when McGee starts. They are getting off to better starts due to McGee’s play.
McGee provides the Warriors with a new dimension at the center position because of his ridiculous athleticism. With Pachulia in the lineup, the Warriors would not incorporate the lob pass in their offensive arsenal. But with McGee, every Warrior wants to throw McGee a lob to see his leaping ability and finish the play. At times, it can shift the momentum of the game and spark the team as well as the Oracle crowd.
He also shows his athleticism on defense by blocking shots. He puts fear in his opponents not to drive the lane because he will alter or block their shot.
When Pachulia was in, opponents were fearless driving the lane because Pachulia is not a defensive presence. McGee’s post defense has improved, but he does struggle against bigger centers due to his frail frame.
If they do not punish him with strength and try to beat him with quickness, he has the edge. On Thursday night, he showed development guarding both strength and quickness in All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge.
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Aldridge is an incredibly tough cover for any center, which is why Draymond Green usually gets the assignment. Green guarded Aldridge most of the game, but there were a couple instances where McGee thrived.
McGee blocked Aldridge’s shot twice in the first half, one where he did not go for a pump fake and blocked his jumper. The second block he used his quickness to block his jump hook, firing the ball into the third row. Aldridge still scored 30 points in the game, but those two blocks may have been the difference between winning and losing in a 110-107 victory over the Spurs.
Like all bigs, McGee has his flaws. He tries to block every shot. This is great when he achieves his goa,l but if he does not it often leads to offensive rebounds and second-chance points for his opponents.
He can also be foul-prone because as Warriors’ Analyst, Jim Barnett likes to put it, “leapers like to leap,” which puts him out of a position and leads to committing unnecessary fouls. He’s not great defending the pick-and-roll, but most bigs struggle there.
He does not set the best screens for Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson due to his frail frame, but he makes up for it by being a dangerous roll man.
McGee should be the Warriors’ starting center going forward because of his ridiculous athleticism, his improved play, and the infectious energy that sparks the team. Opponents will think twice about “hacking” him due to improving his free throw percentage from 50 to 76 percent.
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In the past, Kerr said that the starting center position was based on matchups. The Warriors are undefeated with McGee in the starting five, so regardless of the matchup McGee has earned that spot. It is crazy to say that McGee will be the starting center in the postseason, but the way the team is rolling why wouldn’t he be.