Whether or not the Warriors win an early December game against the Los Angeles Clippers will not be the most important takeaway from Wednesday night.
The very reason President of Basketball Operations Bob Myers was willing to take a chance on JaVale McGee is for the team Golden State’s playing to kick off their five game road trip.
The Clippers have the most athletic and explosive frontcourt in the NBA and the Warriors now have McGee to throw at DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin. It’s a piece Steve Kerr has never had the luxury of using before against Los Angeles and McGee could see extended playing time as a result — something he’s earned through 21 games.
Kerr shouldn’t feel like he’s throwing McGee to the wolves tonight at the Staples Center because the 28-year-old has been the most pleasant surprise on the roster to begin the year.
McGee’s emergence as a source of energy and scoring off the bench has been real. His 20.4 PER rating is third on the Warriors behind Draymond Green and Steph Curry. He’s posted 7 or more points in five of his last eight games. His minutes per game are up from 7.1 in November to 10.7 in December — some of those are garbage time minutes. Mo Speights was a three-point specialist off the bench, McGee is a transition dunking machine.
If McGee is playing well and presenting new problems for Jordan and Griffin down low, don’t be stunned if you see garner some crunchtime minutes in a close game. Curry-Thompson-Durant-Green-McGee might ultimately give the Warriors are more balanced look than if Andre Iguodala is on the floor.
As for the rest of the low post defense against the Clippers? The Warriors still rank fourth in the NBA in rim protection percentage (49.0). The only Western Conference foe ahead of them in the category is the Spurs. Durant has become much more of a post defender with the Warriors and Green has to be the leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.
Wednesday is one of the biggest games thus far in the regular season. Just make sure you don’t get totally caught up in the final score. If McGee gives the Warriors some big minutes, it should be considered a win for the long run.