The most surprising player from each NBA team this season

Golden State Warriors: Javale McGee

Javale McGee is a 7-footer who had the longest arms in league history until Rudy Gobert arrived. He’s athletic enough to have finished second in a slam dunk contest, and that shows up on the floor. The Washington Wizards made him their center of the future when they took him in the first round in 2008. McGee became the full-time starter in his third season and averaged over two blocks per game in each of the next two years. He also contributed double-digit averages in points and averaged over eight boards per game. With his athletic traits and skill set, he could have emerged as a Deandre Jordan like player.

In March of 2012, the Wizards flipped McGee to the Nuggets for Nene Hilario. This began the downfall of his career. McGee started ten games for the Nuggets across his three seasons there. He was traded to the 76ers in early 2015, who promptly cut him. He signed with the Mavericks before last season and appeared in less than half of their games. It appeared that though he had all the physical tools to succeed, the notoriously enigmatic McGee wasn’t going to put it together.

The Golden State Warriors extended McGee a camp offer before this season. They were in need of a rim protector, many didn’t believe him to be an answer. Even though McGee hasn’t been a regular contributor in nearly five seasons, he has been one so for for Golden State. He’s shot 68.4 percent from the field and averaged three blocks per 36 minutes so far. He could potentially play a role in their run for a championship, which would make him one of the most unlikely championship contributors in recent memory.