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Dallas Mavericks: JaVale McGee Is An Underrated Signing

By Paolo Santamaria

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
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 /
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Earlier today, the Dallas Mavericks announced their signing of center JaVale McGee on their official website.

In the wake of the DeAndre Jordan fiasco, Mark Cuban and the Mavericks have found their center(s). Along with Zaza Pachulia and Samuel Dalembert, McGee rounds out Dallas’ center-by-committee foundation. And in all honestly, McGee is a great (and bargain) signing for the Mavs. Eric Pinus of BasketballInsiders highlighted details of the seven-year veteran’s contract:

Over the course of his career, McGee has averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in just under 20 minutes per game. Yes, we all know McGee for his appearances time and time again on Shaqtin’ A Fool.

But beyond his boneheaded plays, McGee is a supremely gifted athlete, standing at seven feet tall with a 7-foot-6 wingspan. He can jump out of the gym relative to his height with a nearly 33-inch vertical, on display in his famous 2011 Dunk Contest dunk.

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Beyond just his physical gifts, JaVale McGee is the classic high motor player. He produces in limited minutes and boasts impressive per-36 statistics for his career: 15.2 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game.

Granted, per-36 statistics are not a perfect indication of how a player can perform if given that many minutes. In fact, they’re mostly useful for assessing how productive role players are in their minutes off the bench relative to others getting similar amounts of playing time. But McGee definitely produces.

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Sure, his decision-making may be among the worst in the NBA, but his athleticism and physical gifts, as well as his ability as a rim protector and pick-and-roll finisher, bode well for the Mavericks…if McGee can stay healthy.

For one reason or another, full health has almost always seemed to allude McGee throughout his career, only playing 70 or more games three times in his seven-year career. However, if the Mavs do get a healthy JaVale McGee, they’ll essentially be getting a poor man’s DeAndre Jordan.

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McGee does almost everything Jordan does, albeit at a less efficient and less impressive level, other than free throw shooting (McGee hits free throws at a 59 percent clip for his career; Jordan is at 42). He should be a great pairing with an aging Dirk Nowitzki in the frontcourt, especially when it comes to compensating for the star forward’s lack of lateral quickness defensively.

He also adds several wrinkles to the Mavericks’ offense with Deron Williams and J.J. Barea running the show. With Pachulia, Williams and Barea can threaten defenses with the pick-and-pop thanks to Zaza’s effective midrange jumper (46 percent conversation rate between 10 and 16 feet over the last five seasons).

With McGee, the two guards can hit the seven-footer with lobs, passes off the pick-and-roll and generally keep defenses honest, in large part due to McGee’s at the rim finishing (nearly 69 percent between zero and three feet for his career).

Despite losing Tyson Chandler to free agency and Jordan in the fiasco that was The Indecision, the Mavericks have managed to put together a quiet yet effective offseason. However, the results largely depend on injuries and health.

Williams’ ankles, Chandler Parsons‘ knee, Wes Matthews‘ Achilles, Nowitzki’s age and McGee’s litany of injuries all threaten Dallas’ hopes of a playoff run. But they certainly aren’t down and out as many people seem to think.

Sure there’s a pretty large talent gap between them and the presumed seven locks (Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans), but that eighth seed is still anyone’s to claim.

And in what appears to be among Dirk Nowitzki’s final seasons, you can bet that the Mavs will have all cylinders firing towards the playoffs. Unfortunately, in a conference as competitive as the West these days, he’ll need some help. Let’s hope McGee is just that.

Next: Houston Rockets: Grading The Offseason

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