JaVale McGee has not played in the NBA Finals so far, but his importance and his commitment remain unchanged for the Los Angeles Lakers.
JaVale McGee started at center all 68 regular-season games for the Los Angeles Lakers. In the NBA Finals, he still has to make his presence registered by stepping on the floor.
The 7-foot center has not played a single minute in the 2020 NBA Finals.
These playoffs have been a postseason of adjustments for the Lakers. In a landscape constantly moving toward a small-ball game, centers do not always find a place on the court.
After starting the first eight playoff games, McGee, along with his fellow Dwight Howard, was left on the bench in the final two games of the Houston Rockets series, as Frank Vogel adapted his lineup to Mike D’Antoni‘s micro ball game.
After regaining the starting spot in the first three games of the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets, he lost it again, this time in favor of Howard for his defensive job on Nikola Jokic.
As said, the center position requires a lot of adjustments nowadays, and varying skills make for widely different rotations according to the opponents. As the effective shot-blocker and paint-patroller he is, JaVale does not certainly excel in perimeter defense.
This would have resulted in a major liability, having to change on pick and rolls against a versatile team as the Miami Heat are. With the additional Bam Adebayo‘s injury, they have also primarily been playing with five floor-spacing shooters.
Anyway, McGee understands the game’s dynamics and is willing to do whatever is better for the team. Through all the playoff games he has been spending on the bench, he has remained a vocal presence from the sidelines, cheering and encouraging his teammates on the floor.
He knows that is the role he has to play for the team now and it is as important as blocking a shot. Especially in an environment without crowd and home-court advantage, hearing voices from the bench can boost the players on the floor to extend a run or help them make an extra three by sheer will.
What looks strange, though, is that in Game 1’s blow out victory, McGee was the only one not to be put on the floor even in garbage time. As if Frank Vogel knew there would be time for him in the series. But while it progresses, it looks like his chances are shrinking, as, without Adebayo, the Heat are a five-out team.
We hope sooner or later McGee will receive his due time on the court, but winning the NBA Championship remains the absolute priority for him and the Los Angeles Lakers.