Los Angeles Lakers: Post All-Star break player rankings
By Ethan Temkin
10.) JaVale McGee
Next on the list is the team’s starting center JaVale McGee, who is continuing his renaissance as a role player, furthering himself from his status as a perennial Shaqtin’ a Fool MVP candidate.
After last season where he was miscast as a 22-23 minute caliber starting center, his minutes are back down to a reasonable 16.7 per game. The low minutes total allows McGee to give maximum effort in the time he’s on the floor, being active on the glass, protecting the rim, and giving Anthony Davis a release valve when he finds himself doubled.
He’s also built on his pick-and-roll chemistry with LeBron James, and is generally one of the players who goes up for the Lakers’ patented ‘alley-oop off of the opening tip play.
On the season, McGee is averaging 7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks, which are respectable numbers when you consider how many minutes he plays. Digging into the advanced stats a bit, McGee is posting a 4.3 BLK% (95th percentile) and an 11.8% offensive rebounding percentage (86th percentile).
All the signs point to McGee being a fully capable starting center, and the things he brings to the table, far outweigh some of his flaws, such as being a goaltending machine, and his lack of an outside shot.