NBA Finals Preview: JaVale McGee is finally an important player

If you would have told me back in 2012 that JaVale McGee would eventually impact the NBA Finals in a positive way I would have believed you. Back then I was writing for Roundball Mining Company and watching McGee on a nightly basis. During that time McGee was still in full on chaos mode, randomly making good things happen with energy and effort, while still having a few bonehead moments that were washed away by the idea of potential.

If you would have told me back in 2014 that JaVale McGee would eventually impact the NBA Finals in a positive way I would have called you a crazy person. By that time McGee had yet to build on his 2012 playoff performances against the Los Angeles Lakers. Instead he had turned into a joke. A volleyball-style goaltend seemed more likely from him than a proper rotation. A pass to no one more likely than a great read. McGee had officially turned from “potential-filled puzzle” to “guy that will never get it.”

Yet here we are in 2017 and JaVale McGee is likely going to positively impact the NBA Finals.

It wasn’t easy. McGee spent the past few seasons seemingly on his way out of the league after finally being jettisoned by Denver in 2015. As McGee found out, teams that didn’t make huge investments in a player weren’t willing to put up with the boneheaded things he got away with in Denver. But finally in 2017 things changed.

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The Warriors deserve a ton of credit for unearthing the positive in McGee. After years of endless floundering, Golden State figured out that boiling McGee down to his simplest form meant getting the best out of him. By essentially taking a page out of Tristan Thompson and the Cavaliers’ “be a star in your role” playbook, the Warriors found another weapon for super-cheap.

But that role is why McGee never was able to find himself in Denver, Washington, or to a lesser extent Dallas. In his first two stops, McGee wasn’t asked to just be a role player. Both franchises bet enough on McGee that they needed him to develop into something more. There were All-Star pushes and times where McGee was one of the “faces” of the franchises. On the floor that meant McGee needed to become a focal point of an offense or the backbone of elite defenses. It meant he played heavy minutes and closed games. To live up to his draft position and contract, McGee had to be a GUY.

But that isn’t JaVale. He is a player who plays really hard in really short bursts. He dunks and blocks everything he possibly can, and tries to dunk and block things he can’t and shouldn’t. At his best McGee creates chaos. At his worst he does the same. For a 30 minute a game player, that isn’t enough. For a 10 minute a night player, it is perfect. And now as we enter the 2017 NBA Finals, JaVale McGee looms as a real weapon.

The Cavaliers bench doesn’t really have an answer for McGee. While Tristan Thompson is wonderful and going to play a large part in the series, at some point he needs to rest. And in those minutes the Cavaliers face a difficult decision. Who will play the backup center minutes? Right now it looks likely the answer is Kevin Love or LeBron James in small ball units. There is the chance that Channing Frye and his shooting get dusted off. Either way one thing is clear. McGee will be hard for Cleveland to stop.

If it is Frye or Love, McGee’s length and athleticism pose a huge problem. As McGee showed the Trail Blazers in round one that means a lot of dunks.

If it is in fact James, McGee’s impact becomes questionable. Because no matter what happens McGee is going to be a problem on defense. Despite all of his growth this season, McGee still chases blocks carelessly, leaving too many open looks and offensive rebounds for opponents. With Love or Frye on the floor McGee at least has somewhere to play on defense. With James and shooters it becomes a much bigger problem.

But that is the key to McGee and the Warriors perfect marriage. If something doesn’t work the Warriors can just not use McGee. Unlike Denver and Washington before them Golden State doesn’t need McGee to be a star. Instead Golden State just needs McGee to help them keep the game close when one of their stars sit. If he does that by dunking home a few lobs and blocking a shot or grabbing a few rebounds, they win. If he doesn’t then they just remove him from the rotation for the rest of the game.

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And that is how despite how improbable it once was we have to admit that JaVale McGee is a potentially impactful player in the NBA Finals. What a time to be alive.