“Future Hall of Famer Mitch McGary.”
Get used to seeing those words a lot on Twitter.
Ok, so maybe that’s a bit much, but in his first nine games of the season where he actually got minutes, McGary has made a strong, quick impression for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
We saw the potential before the season even started. At Michigan, McGary was an extremely talented player whose draft stock took a hit due to a back injury — and subsequent marijuana use, most likely to help him deal with pain.
When the Thunder selected McGary with the 21st pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, it was a curious selection, but one grounded in upside. I mean, just look at all the potential on display before the season even started. Watch out, Zach LaVine!
But in all seriousness, the future seems bright for this rookie who spent the majority of the season recovering from injuries.
Now that he’s healthy and getting some playing time, McGary has had a positive impact off the bench for a Thunder team that’s still fighting for its playoff life.
Over the last nine games, McGary is averaging 9.8 points and 6.9 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per contest. In two of those games he’s put up a goose egg in the scoring column, and his minutes have fluctuated based on how quickly he starts off.
But McGary has also had some stand-out performances, including a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double in a big win over the Los Angeles Clippers. In that 23-minute coming out party, he went 8-for-9 from the field and showed why Scott Brooks needs to give him time off the bench.
McGary followed that game up with 17 points and 10 boards on 6-of-12 shooting in a win over the Denver Nuggets. Until their recent two-game skid, the Thunder had been 7-0 since McGary started receiving significant minutes.
While that probably has more to do with Russell Westbrook‘s lightning rod play than anything else, it’s still worth noting that among all the new additions like Enes Kanter, D.J. Augustin and Kyle Singler, McGary has been just as helpful in getting OKC back in the playoff mix.
Even last night’s loss against the Thunder, behind Westbrook’s third consecutive triple-double, showed McGary’s value. In 28 minutes he put up 20 points and nine rebounds on 10-of-13 shooting. He’s not afraid to put up shots and he’s highly efficient in the painted area.
Nine games is a very small sample size, but the 22-year-old McGary is yet another testament to Sam Presti’s ability to find talent, not to mention Brooks’ ability to cultivate that talent. Kanter has been the biggest recent addition to OKC’s rotation, but he’s a restricted free agent this summer and if another team makes him a big offer, the Thunder may need to think about matching it.
If Kanter proves to be too expensive, Oklahoma City can at least take some solace in the early signs McGary has shown in his rookie season. McGary is a power forward, so he won’t completely fill the void there, but suddenly the prospect of a Steven Adams-Mitch McGary frontcourt pairing off the bench is a formidable one.
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