Los Angeles Lakers: 5 reasons to re-sign JaVale McGee

The Los Angeles Lakers have a hole at center heading into the offseason. Here are five reasons the Lakers should re-sign JaVale McGee to fill that void.

When the Los Angeles Lakers signed JaVale McGee in early July 2018, plenty of observers felt like he wouldn’t have much, if any impact on his new team. They were proven wrong throughout the 2018-19 season. In the process, McGee established himself as one of the few veterans who may return next season.

Prior to signing with the Lakers last summer, JaVale McGee already had a moderately successful NBA career. He had been a key rotation player for the Washington Wizards, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks. He then went on to win two straight world championships with the Golden State Warriors.

However, his career stats to that point (7.5 points, 4.8 rebounds in 16.7 minutes a game) were relatively pedestrian, and he was arguably more well-known for his frequent appearances on Shaqtin’ A Fool than he was for his actual basketball skills.

After the Lakers signed LeBron James last summer, they desperately needed a quality rotation center, so they took a flier on McGee and signed him to a one-year contract for nearly $2.4 million. He turned out to be a huge bargain.

This season, the Flint, Michigan native averaged 12 points, 7.5 rebounds and two blocks per game in 22.3 minutes, the most since the 2011-12 season. In some ways, he’s been born again, as he’s proved that he can be more than just a warm body at the center position.

On a team that had many veterans on one-year contracts, McGee became perhaps the most indispensable of them all. If the Lakers are serious about a return to glory in the 2019-20 season, they should make a strong attempt to keep him in the fold.

Here are five reasons McGee should be re-signed by the Lakers this offseason.