Mavs Remain Committed to JaVale McGee as Starter, But Why?

The Dallas Mavericks promised JaVale McGee the starting center role when he was signed in free agency. The commitment remains 'strong' to the promise.

The Dallas Mavericks used the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign JaVale McGee on a three-year contract worth $17.2 million in free agency. He was also promised the starting center role in part of the recruiting process — prompting the decision to sign with the Mavs over other options. 

McGee has filled the starting center role but has only averaged 5.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks, 12.0 minutes per game. He's even only shooting 47.4 percent from the floor despite being a play finisher for one of the NBA's elite playmakers in Luka Doncic. 

With Christian Wood showing off his impressive offensive skill-set all while McGee hasn't been impactful in any particular area, many have speculated if the Mavs will look to change their starting lineup in the near future. Especially after Dwight Powell has begun to receive playing time in the last three games after being out of the rotation to start the season. No change is imminent at this stage. In fact, the situation is far from reaching that point.

“Strong," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said when asked about his commitment to starting McGee. "When you look at the rotation today, we’ll give him a chance. He’s going to play. He’s going to get into the swing of things, and we believe in him. He’s going to start. You saw tonight we can play DP, and C-Wood, and Maxi. We’ll look at that combination, but we believe in JaVale, and he’ll be better.”

There is legitimate basis for giving a lineup change consideration. With McGee starting, the Mavs have not gotten the job done. The base starting lineup consisting of Luka Doncic, Spencer Dinwiddie, Reggie Bullock, Dorian Finney-Smith, and McGee has been outscored by a 13-point margin in 51 minutes. Among the 20 lineup combinations in the NBA to have logged at least 50 points, Dallas' group ranks 16th in scoring differential. 

Among those 20 lineups, the Mavs' starting lineup with McGee is allowing 49.7 opponent points in the paint per 36 minutes — ranking worst by a 4.3-margin. In fact, only five of those lineups are even allowing 40.0 opponent points in the paint per 36 minutes. Considering even teams with a notorious lack for rim protection have fared better, it's a concerning limitation for Dallas. 

The #Mavs have received underwhelming paint protection from JaVale McGee. It was on display against the #Pelicans, but it has happened since the preseason.

McGee's lack of contributions makes starting 1st & 3rd quarters unnecessarily more challenging. A lineup change is needed. pic.twitter.com/EndZwEwK51

— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) October 26, 2022

The Mavs' defensive strategy has been clear: run shooters off the line to minimize potential 3-point attempts. As was the case for the team throughout their Western Conference Finals run. Dallas has accomplished this goal with McGee on the court by allowing just 18.4 3-point attempts per 36 minutes — the only lineup among those 20 combinations allowing fewer than 20 3-point attempts per 36 minutes. Such a strategy requires high-level rotations and paint protection. 

“Whatever you throw at me, I’m ready. This is why I came here,” McGee said of being the starting center in training camp. “I had plenty of opportunities to be a bench player, but he (Kidd) gave me an opportunity to be a starter. I take that whole-heartedly.”

The results haven't been favorable for the Mavs' defense with McGee on the court. Particularly with the starting lineup, opponents are producing 59.0 percent effective field goal percentage, which ranks 19th among that group of 20 lineup combinations. Opponents are shooting 70.6 percent from the floor when McGee contests a shot attempt within 6-feet of the rim and Dallas overall rank 29th in defensive field goal percentage on these particular shot attempts. 

The Mavs' starting lineup hasn't efficiently scored the basketball yet, either. The 50.0 percent effective field goal percentage they have produced ranks 19th out of those 20 lineups that have logged at least 50 minutes. When Doncic isn't throwing McGee a lob, McGee is negatively impacting their spacing — making it more challenging for Doncic to operate in the half-court.  

It remains to be seen if McGee will manage to turn things around to make the impact the Mavs anticipated when they signed him. He often isn't running the floor hard and seemingly lacks a paint presence as the anchor of a defense. The commitment to keep McGee in the starting lineup will remain. 

---

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Mavericks? Click Here.

Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.