When it comes to free agency, the Dallas Mavericks are usually never considered big winners, to put it nicely.
That might still be harsh, but it’s simply the truth of the matter. The Mavs, for the most part, are typically fine when it comes to trades, but for whatever reasons, they just can’t hit home runs in free agency. … But that doesn’t mean they can’t hit singles and doubles on occasion, though.
That’s the category JaVale McGee likely falls into, given that he’s considered a good pickup for Dallas, but not necessarily a game-changer. The Mavs signed the 34-year-old right out of the free agency gates to a three-year, $17 million contract.
McGee is a much more experienced and accomplished player now than he was during his first stint with the Mavs during the 2015-16 season. He’s won three championships since then – two with Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors and one with LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers. Now, he will try to do the same with Luka Doncic.
Although the Mavs had already traded for Christian Wood before free agency began, they still felt that McGee’s addition was needed to address their lack of depth at the center position – which was exposed by the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
2021-22 Season Review
McGee had a productive season for the top-seeded Phoenix Suns last year, as he averaged 9.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 15.8 minutes per game. He shot 62.9 percent from the field in 74 regular-season games.
In 17 starts for the Suns last season when DeAndre Ayton was out, McGee averaged 10.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The Suns went 12-5 with McGee starting and posted an offensive rating of 118 and a defensive rating of 104.
In the postseason, McGee’s overall production went down, but he raised his efficiency by shooting 70 percent from the field. Although there were many instances where he was played off the floor in the playoffs – as many traditional NBA centers are, including Mavs’ starting center from last season, Dwight Powell – he still had some good moments that Mavs fans can be optimistic about heading into this season.
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2022-23 Season Preview
Heading into the new season, our expectations for McGee are for him to put up the same kind of production he did for Phoenix last season. Given his athleticism and skill in the pick-and-roll game, McGee should be a seamless fit next to Doncic.
Whether he’ll be able to stay on the floor with Dallas in the postseason or not is something we’ll have to wait to see, but at the very least, McGee will still be an upgrade from what the Mavs got from their starting center. throughout the entire playoffs last season.
As for the Mavs’ expectations for McGee, owner Mark Cuban kept it short and sweet in a recent interview with DallasBasketball.com:
“(Expectations are for him) to be a defensive and rebounding presence. To give our guys the value of his playoff and championship experience.”
You can follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter at @dalton_trigg
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