NBA: Ranking all 30 starting centers for 2018-19 season

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29. JaVale McGee, Los Angeles Lakers

First things first: JaVale McGee is not a bad player by any means. In fact, he had a huge impact off the bench for the reigning NBA champions last year during his short spurts of action, particularly in the playoffs. McGee doesn’t deserve the derision he gets for every on-court gaffe that’s inescapable from Shaqtin’ A Fool‘s gaze.

However, the Los Angeles Lakers really failed to address the 5-spot in free agency, heading into 2018-19 with McGee, Ivica Zubac and Moritz Wagner as their three centers. LeBron James as a small-ball 5 might be their best option, but that’s not sustainable for an 82-game grind.

As such, McGee gets the nod by default. As much as his 18.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per 36 minutes suggest he could be productive in extended minutes, it’s worth noting why he hasn’t averaged more than 20 minutes per game since the 2011-12 season: He’s best-served as an impact player off the bench.