Golden State Warriors: Alfonzo McKinnie can be an asset in the Finals

Golden State Warriors’ forward Alfonzo McKinnie showed both ability and guts in the Western Conference Finals while also finally finding his rhythm.

“He’s been a huge surprise for us this year,” Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said of Alfonzo McKinnie.

Those were the words of Steve Kerr earlier this year when asked about the Chicago forward that had a rather unusual path to the NBA. That said, McKinnie has certainly stepped up the last couple of games.

With both Durant and Cousins out, the Warriors bench has needed to impact games at a higher level than earlier. Players like Bogut and Livingston were expected to show their experience but help came from a different angle against Portland.

Alfonzo McKinnie made a vital contribution to the Western Conference Finals sweep. His numbers back the improvement of the 26-year-old.

In 72 games this year, his numbers looked like this:

Games             MP                    PTS                    REB                   AST

72                      13.9                  4.7                    3.4                     0.4

The last four games against the Portland Trail Blazers his numbers were similar yet also marginally better:

MP                    PTS                    REB                   AST                   TOV                    PF

Game 1            13.54                3                        2                        1                        0                          2

Game 2            8.33                 3                        0                        0                        0                            3

Game 3            21.13                5                        9                        0                        1                          1

Game 4            26.22                12                      2                        0                        0                          2

From these numbers, it’s clear that McKinnie increased his game aggressively towards the end of the series. At Game 4, Iguodala was out, and Warriors were down 3 stars. Curry and Thompson needed some help to complete the sweep.

McKinnie stepped up.

He showed both ability and bravery when it mattered. McKinnie was gifted the start in Game 4.

The overtime in that game was interesting to watch. Having already scored 10 points, McKinnie kept being aggressive. With 3:17 remaining he took a 3-point shot, and although he missed, he continued to keep the defense honest about guarding him.

Just a minute later, he got his first offensive rebound from a Klay Thompson 3-point miss. Klay tried again closer but was blocked. The Warriors were up by one at that point and McCollum made it 115-114 with a pull-up jump shot. 1:41 was still to play.

Seconds later Curry missed a 3-pointer, but once again McKinnie grabbed the rebound and made a huge play with a putback layup shot. The Warriors were up – and then Draymond hit that three to theoretically end the game.

With Alfonzo McKinnie, you get solid minutes with both offensive and defensive contributions. The forward is disciplined and doesn’t turn the ball over. At the same time, he’s aggressive on defense but keeps himself out of foul trouble.

He has truly deserved the trust of his coach, and it will be exciting to see his impact on the Raptors on May 30th.