That’s elite self awareness there to be fair. Most role players fail because they think they’re the first option

He was the back breaker on that 17’ KD team lol opposing teams would somehow miraculously lock up Steph, Klay, and KD only to have either one of them or Draymond just toss an absolutely heaven’s gate high lob to a cutting McGee lol. Just filthy.

Most elite role players don’t have those accolades.

JaVale won gold? Dang

Not really. Plug any backup center into that team and they still get 3 rings at least.

He really was a good piece on those teams for a stretch there. Absolutely.

Went to another with the Suns and got him a few more years of contracts after he played well

It’s also Jonathan Kuminga’s biggest issue

JaVale’s also been known to be a great locker room guy and team player. Even if you’re a mid player good teams love a vibes guy

Some ppl can’t put in the work and put aside ego

He just can’t catch. Least coordinated hands I’ve ever seen on a big. If he had soft hands he’d be starting in this league somewhere. Everything else was fixable.

his head is filled with rocks. He has the athletic tools but not the IQ

Wiseman was a one of one athlete, but he had no discernible basketball skillset. At lower levels it didn’t really matter because he was just too much for a lot of players to handle with his size and athleticism.

Just… doesn’t work that way in the NBA. Most everyone you’re dealing with is a freak.

And Wiseman’s just never gotten any better from a skills perspective. He seems to have the exact same problems at the exact same intensity as he did on day one.

McGee’s skillset was limited, but it was a skillset nonetheless.

If that’s all Kerr wanted Wiseman to do (which I’m sure he did) they should have never drafted him #2…

basketball iq and a lot of intangibles we don’t often hear people talk about like positioning, timing, chemistry, game sense, feeling, vision, situational awareness, communication, understanding of the game, etc.

Different stages of careers.

Wiseman and Kuminga were both right to want bigger roles and to showcase themselves for big renewals.

McGee was 30 and had averaged ⁵⁄₃ the previous 5 years, he’s just trying to find a path to staying in the league.

Hed be in the gulags for even thinking about taking a game defining shot

Like telling my 6 year old daughter she needs to shoot the robber in our house. If she’s taking the shot we’re all fucked already.

Rodman role

Give me Iguodala.

Me, Thomas Keller, Escoffier, Jiro Ono in a boat, I can catch the fish and leave the cooking to them.

Even Draymond lost his shooting touch and confidince playing with those three.

I’m fairly certain that’s what happened to Draymond. He was a good shooter, was 7th in mvp. Then KD joins and Draymond focused his efforts on defense, screens, DHOs, etc.

You are clearly forgetting someone!!

In a team of Steph, Klay, KD, AND a wide-open corner where Andre Iguodala has to save planet Earth from the Martians, fate of the universe on the line, the death beam pointed at the earth, you better hit it

It is a game and most guys do want to feel involved. Yes there are some that are fine with no offensive role but a player is justified in (regular season setting anyway) to want to pull up or take a possession or two over the game that isn’t a set up or put back.

Until it was time for the annual summer video

I mean that context is dumb af then. He was a career 19% 3pt shooter, why would they even try to do 5 out with him. Folks would be guarding him like Ben simmons, standing 10 feet away, facing away from him + towards the ball looking to cut passing lanes

I feel like 90% of modern media is someone being asked a very specific, pointed question and then their answer being presented as if they brought that up out of nowhere

lol why?  Cause he’s a dogshit shooter

That three big man rotation the Lakers had of Dwight, AD, and McGee is crazy to think about then and to think about now considering that the league was moving away from post play and moving towards perimeter play. But both Dwight and Javale were a two headed defensive monster and knew their role was to be big and to support Anthony Davis down on the block.

I find it so odd that the Lakers moved away from this model, especially with the rise of Nikola Jokic as the best player in the league and was simply too much for just Anthony Davis to defend in two consecutive playoff appearances. As well as the the center position becoming the
Lakers’ worst weakness after letting go of AD. Javale would feast as a lob threat with Luka.

He has a three-peat 😭

He literally didn’t play a single minute in the 2020 Finals

this is nba reddits absolute favorite quote lol

He went 6 for 6 in game 7 against the cavs from 3 to start the fucking game off

edit it was cavs not thunder

People forget the first ring started with the Steph and Dray PnR

Kevin Hart killed his confidence. His splits before/after are no joke. 

The rift between Dray and Kerr started when Kerr came back to replace Walton. Walton was giving Draymond free range to do what he wanted and Kerr came back and said hell no. That was the “I AM NOT A ROBOT” shit.

What do you mean? Draymond has only had 2 good 3pt shooting seasons, ‘15-‘16 (38%) & ‘23-‘24 (39%). He’s been mainly a low 30s guy otherwise.

Draymond before KD was 20%, 33%, 33%, & his good season at 38%

His scoring is not important… before and after KD

Draymonds defense is all time great and on offense his screens and playmaking is also elite, let alone his chemistry with the personality to be the emotional leader of the team… he’s THE greatest role player ever…

he could get 5/5/5 in a game and impact it so much more than a player scoring 40 that same game….

I vicariously rooted for the Spurs since I hated the Lakers as a kid and the Nuggets never played into the summer. Javale became my favorite the day he stole my basketball hero Tim Duncan’s soul: https://youtube.com/watch?v=C7lOhIXv4fI&pp=ygUYamF2YWxlIGJsb2NrcyBUaW0gRHVuY2Fu0gcJCRMMAYcqIYzv

I just loved that it always seemed like he was having fun out there and kind of out of control. Javale always felt chaotic and I felt like his energy fit the past-Melo team (Lawson, Chandler, Gallo, Faried) really well