Golden State Warriors small forward Alfonzo McKinnie will return Wednesday night versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 6-foot-8 McKinnie missed nine straight games due to a foot injury.
Alfonzo McKinnie will play tonight in Cleveland
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) December 5, 2018
Alfonzo McKinnie, 26, was doing wonders for the Warriors as an excellent role player before going down with the injury. Having played his rookie season for the Toronto Raptors last season, McKinnie found himself being picked up by the defending champs during the offseason.
McKinnie has turned himself into a reliable 3-and-D player for the team when healthy. His best game of the season came during a winning effort over the Chicago Bulls in which he scored 19 points on four 3-pointers and grabbed 10 rebounds.
McKinnie's averages of 6.3 points and 3.8 rebounds do not give justice to his overall importance to the team. Every successful team has an excellent glue guy, and the young combo forward looks to be just that as an important reserve.
More importantly, McKinnie's stellar work and return to the lineup should give Andre Iguodala more time to rest his battle-tested body. We all know that Iggy does most of his damage during the playoffs, so the Warriors have to pace his minutes and workload in the regular season. The 34-year-old grizzled veteran is not getting any younger, and the defending champs need his presence more come June next year.
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