Los Angeles Lakers: Has Javale McGee found a home with LA?
By Todd Dudas
JaVale McGee appears to have found a home with the Los Angeles Lakers and is enjoying his best two-year stretch in years
JaVale McGee is a guy that’s been the definition of an NBA journeyman. He has played for six different teams throughout his NBA career, including the Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Denver Nuggets, just to name a few.
Now, he is a Laker and part of their storied tradition. McGee, for the past season and a half, is a player that has shown the ability to fill-in for spot starts or even come off the bench to give this frontcourt a much-needed boost. He works hard, keeps his head down and has become somewhat unappreciated during his recent stint in Los Angeles.
For example, in a recent game against the Boston Celtics, McGee put up 18 points and three blocks in the team’s loss. It was a great performance but was unfortunately overshadowed by a disappointing all-around performance by the team as a whole.
At times, you can watch McGee (and his athleticism) and be amazed by what he could potentially bring to the table on any given night. On a team with two of the five best players in the world at the moment, McGee has become even more valuable.
The big question for McGee, who has averaged seven points and six rebounds on a career-high 65 percent shooting from the field, is how he’ll be able to translate this regular-season success to the playoffs?
The Lakers will need their role players to step up in the postseason if this team is going to live out the team’s preseason expectations.
It’s crazy to say that one of the keys to the Lakers possibly winning an NBA Championship could fall on the shoulders of JaVale McGee. Then again, with the way that he’s played over the last season and a half with the team, it shouldn’t be entirely surprising.