Subscribe
Follow Us
During their game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Golden State Warriors‘ starting center Zaza Pachulia got into early foul trouble, forcing head coach Steve Kerr to give JaVale McGee the chance to play additional minutes.
He did not disappoint and had his best performance of the season so far.
The 28-year-old Nevada product finished the game with 10 points, three rebounds, and two blocked shots in almost 15 minutes of action. But most importantly, he got to know more how it is to play with his All-Star teammates. His strong showing earned him his coach's trust and now Kerr is looking into giving him more minutes in the future. He also talked about what McGee gives them and raved about the positive effect he had on the court.
Article Continues Below“He earned some extra playing time, for sure. We're still going through different combinations, but he earned the opportunity to play some more.”
“He ran the floor really, really hard, and not just on the plays where he got the dunks. When we made a stop, he was rim-running really, really fast and taking the defense with him. That's how Steph (Curry) got a couple of his 3s. I think just the pace with which he played was good for us.”
But the 51-year-old bench tactician also made it clear that McGee will not automatically get 15 minutes every night, as his playing time will also depend on the matchups they'll get.
“A lot of it will be dictated by the opponent and a lot of it will be dictated by the game itself. The other night, it just felt right. But going forward, every game is going to be a little different. We just have to feel it out.”
Even if that's the case for McGee, what's important is his coach saw the improvement he has made and what he can contribute to the team. If he continues to impress even in limited minutes, it won't be surprising if he'll be considered to take on a bigger role for the Warriors as the season progresses.
