Why JaVale McGee Would Not Have Made An Impact With The Celtics

By ggrammer | Mar 9, 2015

Jan 31, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee (34) during the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

JaVale McGee is not a good NBA player.

Such a statement might seem self-evident when describing someone who could not secure a deal past the end of this season and is the de facto star of Shaqtin’ A Fool. But the siren songs of length and athleticism are hard to overcome. And as fans and front office types around the league look at Hassan Whiteside, some will ask why the same cannot happen with JaVale McGee.

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The reality is that McGee’s impact on the Boston Celtics or their playoff hopes this season would have been minimal and maybe even detrimental. Once McGee began demanding a player option for next season, the Celtics were no longer looking at just trying him out for the remainder of the season. A team should not give player options without a very good reason, and there was no such reason to take that risk for JaVale.

Some might say JaVale McGee could have helped. Sure, he does stupid things. But he is a long athletic shot blocker and Boston does not have anyone like that. Tyler Zeller blocks just 0.7 shots per game playing 20 minutes per game, while McGee over his career has blocked 1.8 shots on the same amount of minutes. Couldn’t his shot blocking help the Celtics? Even Hardwood Houdini’s Bobby Krivistsky mentioned JaVale’s shot blocking prowess while defending the decision to not sign McGee.

Let’s start by pointing out something that is true every time a fan suggests that their team signs some athletic shot blocker. No NBA team has ever signed a center to block shots. NBA teams sign centers to play defense, of which protecting the rim is an important part of defense.

But a center who blocks shots and a center who plays defense are not necessarily the same thing. In fact, a center can hinder a defense by going for the block. He is a greater foul risk since he is more inclined to leave his feet and is more likely to fall for pump fakes. He may get the block, but then find himself out of position and his man open for an easy putback. And there is the fact that even the best shot blockers block a tiny fraction of the total amount of attempted shots in a game.

JaVale McGee is not the only center who goes for block totals above playing solid defense. Samuel Dalembert did this all the time. Anthony Davis is not a bad defender, but he is not as good as his 2.8 blocks per game indicate.

And JaVale McGee is not a good defender. His lack of intelligence is not just silly plays on Shaqtin’ A Fool. Throughout his career, McGee has shown little defensive awareness, an inability to communicate on defense, and a lack of awareness on defensive rotations. As measured by defensive rating, McGee has played on an above-average defensive team once in his career. Given how important centers are to a defense because of their ability to protect the rim, McGee must face some blame for this.

All of this is on defense, the area of the court where McGee is the strongest. On offense, McGee is a total disaster. Brian Shaw’s plan to make McGee a post-up threat is a reason why Shaw is not coaching anymore, and McGee has no offensive skills aside from the catch and dunk.

Furthermore, McGee is not a distinguished rebounder despite his size. He averaged just 9.3 rebounds per 36 minutes over his past three seasons with the Nuggets, a below average number for a center.

McGee cannot play defense, he has not been a good rebounders in years, and he has no offensive skills or intelligence

McGee cannot play defense, he has not been a good rebounders in years, and he has no offensive skills or intelligence. There is no reason to suggest that he would have helped the Celtics reach the playoffs. One could even suppose with his history that McGee might have hurt by looking for his own numbers to get a contract next season instead of playing team basketball. A team as far back in the playoff race as Boston cannot afford any mistakes if they want to play in late April.

None of this is to suggest that the Celtics dodged a bullet by not signing McGee. But it was just another example of how teams take fliers at the end of a season on prospects which are unlikely to succeed all the time. Miami is doing this with Michael Beasley this year, and the Celtics had Terrence Williams two seasons ago. This particular signing just never got past the negotiation stage.

To wonder about how McGee could have helped the Celtics is not even crying over spilt milk, but for spilt water. Ignore his length and athleticism, focus on his weaknesses, and you see a player who would not have significantly helped the Celtics. Danny Ainge’s decision to not keep him past this season was the correct one.

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