The last two years, JaVale McGee played into mid-June with the Warriors' NBA championship teams.
McGee thought he had another deep playoff run upon him when he signed with the Lakers last summer.
But McGee's summer vacation will begin in mid-April with the Lakers failing to make the playoffs.
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Surprisingly, McGee isn't losing too much sleep over this development.
“I wanted to make the playoffs again but with a bigger role,” McGee told The Athletic's Bill Oram. “We didn’t make the playoffs unfortunately, but I had a bigger role, so I don’t take it as something lost or anything.”
In his two seasons with the Warriors, McGee played in 142 regular-season games but started just 17 games. This season, he's started 57 of the 70 games in which he's played.
McGee is averaging 11.8 points and 7.5 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game this season. During his two years in Oakland, McGee averaged 5.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per game.
Golden State Warriors
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McGee signed a one-year contract with the Lakers for the minimum, and despite his improved numbers, there's no guarantee he will be back with the team next season. While injuries have derailed the Lakers' season, it's a safe bet that the front office will overhaul the roster.
“It’s the NBA, so people don’t take, ‘Oh, they got injured, that’s probably why,’ " McGee told Oram. "No. They take it as, ‘It didn’t work.’ So I doubt they bring back the exact same group, but anything’s possible."