Los Angeles Lakers: JaVale McGee’s season review in a three-act play

The Los Angeles Lakers’ big man has the highs and lows of a Shakespearean protagonist, resulting in unforgettable highlights and unforgivable lowlights.

The eager crowd observes the performers, anguishing over the prospect of their beloved team, such as the Los Angeles Lakers, adding another disappointing loss to their record. They know what to expect out of most the Lakers‘ players.

Kyle Kuzma will score off the ball, cutting to the basket or running off screens for spot-up 3s. Lonzo Ball will deliver beautiful passes throughout the game, often overpassing due to a lack of confidence in his own scoring ability. LeBron James will score at will while dicing up defenses with his incredible vision.

There is one player, on the other hand, who revels in the unexpected. Nobody knows what he will do at any given time, which makes cheering for him exhilaratingly terrifying. His name is JaVale McGee.

LeBron passes the ball down low, allowing McGee to post up against a smaller defender. The crowd hopes for him to use his innate length and athleticism to simply overpower the opponent, but they are well-aware he might attempt an inefficient sky hook instead.

As he slowly backs down and the fans’ suspense grows in anguished anticipation, McGee jumps 40 inches in the air, contorts his body away from the basket, and passes it back out to LeBron. The crowd simultaneously exhales out of relief.

“Could’ve been worse,” one fan utters to another.

This is the JaVale McGee experience in its purest form. He is an individual who, at times, displays Defensive Player of the Year talent on one end while rim-running and dunking everything on the other.

When he abandons the best version of himself, though, he resembles a terrified, tall seventh grader who was forced to join the school’s basketball team by his overbearing stepfather Jim (too personal, I know).

JaVale’s perplexing season can be adequately broken down into a three-act play: the Fantastic Fall, a Woeful Winter, and a Surprisingly Satisfying Spring. The year began with a player on a mission, transitioned into a man resembling a shell of his former self, and is concluding with his best play of the season, in spite of the team’s desire to lose.

Oh, and while I’m not sure it needs mentioning, there have been many memes. So many memes.