Golden State Warriors: Steve Kerr Must Stop Small Ball And Start JaVale McGee In Finals
The Golden State Warriors have taken a different approach during these NBA playoffs. While they have made it to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight year, they have done so with a bit of luck. Gone are the days when the Warriors hung their hat on the defensive side as Steve Kerr has decided to go more small-ball. However, his new approach may not work against these younger Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s time for Kerr to insert JaVale McGee into the starting lineup.
While McGee has seen limited action in these playoffs, his presence will be needed more against the Cavs than it was against the New Orleans Pelicans or Houston Rockets. Seems rather strange to say with the Anthony Davis and Clint Capela, but a small ball lineup actually helps those bigs. But the Cavs love to attack the basket with LeBron James and Kevin Love. So, adding McGee will not stop that but it will make players like Larry Nance, George Hill, and Jordan Clarkson think twice about doing so.
On the season, JaVale McGee averaged 4.8 points and 2.6 rebounds in 65 games but done so in only 9.5 minutes of action. During the playoffs, he has averaged 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 11.4 minutes but has only played in nine games. While Kerr has decided to go with either Andre Iguodala and Kevon Looney at power forward and Draymond Green at center, it’s time to rethink that strategy. Nothing against Looney, but this is not the time to have this young guy in the mix with the likes of Jeff Green and Love.
Is JaVale McGee The Key For The Golden State Warriors?
The value of McGee goes far beyond scoring and rebounding. Kevin Durant and Green can do the heavy lifting in that department. But how the Cavs were able to beat the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and Indian Pacers was attacking the basket. While the Cavs do shoot a ton from the perimeter, that opens the lanes for LeBron’s dribble penetrations. As we seen last season, with McGee on the floor, LeBron was a bit hesitant to attack the lane. While McGee does not average one block per game, he’s still a great intimidator.
If the Cavs see Green in the post, they will attack, not caring if they get their shot blocked but to draw a foul on the Warriors best defensive player. With McGee manning the middle, Kerr has options. He can now put Green on LeBron and Durant on Green (Jeff), thus taking away any offensive rebound opportunities and dribble penetration Green may try to provide. This will leave Draymond on an island with LeBron but he will have backup at the rim with McGee.
JaVale McGee may not be as valuable as Stephen Curry, Durant or Klay Thompson. But if Kerr is smart, playing McGee could give the Golden State Warriors their third title in four seasons.
[BXReporter]
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
