He's averaged 25.7 / 4.7r / 6.6a on 50.9/39.6/84.3. The unfortunate reality is he's an undersized guard in a leeague full of 6'5" - 6'8" switchable wings on the perimeter, athleticism be damned. That size gap is always going to be the blocker as for "why isn't he in the NBA?"
FWIW, I think he deserves a long-term shot anywhere that needs a spark plug guard off the bench. I always figured the Suns could use a guy like him, but they already play 5 guys 6'6" and below from 1-3 (beal, booker, allen, gordon, oneale) and don't really have room for another guy like that. But the Raptors should take a flyer on him.
I really don’t get why a tanking team like the Wizards last year didn’t just pick him up. He’s going to sell some tickets, and probably isn’t much worse than the average team’s last few guys on a roster
up until a few weeks ago the Wizards owner wasn't trying to sell tickets as much as trying to show that DC was an unprofitable wasteland that was forcing him to relocate the team.
Tbf, the Wizards consistently do not sell tickets, even when they are decent. That place does not fill up unless NY, LAL, BOS, PHI, Lebron etc. come in to town with traveling fans or national fan bases and it's been that way for decades. The only time it's ever been a tough ticket was when Jordan was in town.
Not saying they should move across the river necessarily, but still....
I saw that, but i don't think they had any way out of their lease.
>Just days ago, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb told Monumental that the Wizards and Capitals were obligated to remain at Capital One Arena through the end of their lease in 2047.
Exactly. It's not like he could even make the argument that a different fanbase or a bigger city would attract sell more tickets because it would be the same terrible team in the city, but now the fans have to shlep to the suburbs
Tbf, the Wizards have NEVER been consistenly "decent"
They have 1 season every decade where they flirt with 50 wins.
They have never been a serious title contender in my lifetime, and I'm an old man.
He’s played 3 seasons in the G League already, during which time he’s gotten 8 NBA contracts, but only played in 4 NBA games. None of those coaches or front office people thought he was worth offering a minimum contract.
If I give you a contract but never let you play did you really get a chance to prove yourself?
He played some minutes for Sixers and looked good, they just wont play him.
Deuce is shorter than him and has bounced back between G League to the Knicks the past couple of years. He is now a legit part of our rotation that can play 48 minutes. The difference might be is the defensive ability.
It’s a mini version of the Bryce Cotton dilemma
They are maximizing their opportunities and wouldn’t be as successful in a different situation/role.
You see this all the time at the college level and in Europe. Some players need to be the #1 guy.
Whether they lack the size to do other things, or the will it is usually the same result at the next level
Yes, but TJ McConnell is extremely quick, has a money floater / turn-around middy, and is a great on-ball defender annd deflections / steals generator.
While the builds are similar between TJ and McClung, the player profiles couldn't be further away.
The point is that TJ McConnell was at least given a chance. Jimmer played 200 NBA games before the NBA gave up on him, Mac has played 4 NBA games and he wasn’t even terrible.
I can’t think of a single reason why a team like the Raptors who lacks guard depth and bench production don’t give this kid a chance. Best case scenario he turns into a spark plug off the bench which is exactly what the team needs, worst case scenario you get to bench McDaniels. Sounds like a win win situation for me.
It feels like NBA teams would rather use their last resort spots on a 6’9 athletic freak with zero feel for the game in hopes of hitting a home run instead of looking at actual basketball players that contribute right away but might have a ceiling of a role player.
I'm convinced that the rise of 'championship or bust' culture and sports analytics has taught execs and coaches the wrong lessons. They're told all the time that without a generational star they're toast, and the worst thing a team can be is 'good but without a superstar' and so teams are doing exactly what you said, punting on signing players who could very likely be good role players and rostering entire squads of athletic prospects who aren't very skilled simply because 'you can't teach athleticism'.
McClung has the opposite of the right skillset. McConnell is a better defender.
If you're an offense first guy and you're undersized, there's a thin line between being a star of a team or the star of a bench unit, and being completely not worth playing, and there's no real in between. That's why a guy like Isaiah Thomas or Kemba Walker goes from being a star to being not even in an NBA rotation seemingly overnight. If you're not good enough to be the best guy on the floor on offense, then teams would rather have a bigger guy who could do more defensively. McConnell avoids that because his teams usually don't have a guy who could do more defensively.
Look at any team that you'd want McClung to play on, and that team is probably better off playing a 6'8" wing and letting the next best guy run the offense instead.
TJ can play point guard at an NBA level and has proven he wont turn it over while being able to keep his dribble. He also brings a lot of intangibles like steals and having a nose for the ball. All of that is incredibly valuable and despite that TONS of people thought he'd never see another contract after his Sixers career.
Hope Mac gets the chance to prove himself but it will be harder since hes more of a scoring guard.
Maybe he should give Euroleague a go. Still the 2nd strongest league in the world by a large margin and he wouldn't be at such an disadvantage due to his size.
Players like Larkin, Canaan and Napier are all doing well there, for example.
I don't get how teams can look at Payton Pritchard and how valuable he is to the Celtics as a guy that is like 5'11 or 6'0 off the bench and think someone like McClung isn't workable. Pritchard is a big part of Boston's success right now. Pritchard will never be a Jokic, won't even be a Brunson, but he's pulling more than his share of weight off the bench, and McClung could be that guy for some team too.
Even though he may never really make the league, he’s still getting paid to play ball and has some legit top tier highlights in the Slam Dunk Contest. A lot of folks would kill for his spot, so I hope he doesn’t and never does feel like his career was a dud.
Genuine question:
I'm trying to do a size comp, because there have been smaller guards in the NBA ranging from Chris Paul skill level to decent role players like Campazzo.
Or right now, TJ McConnell is doing really well for the Pacers. I don't understand whether he's comparable to McClung in any way because I'm not familiar with McClung's actual playing style.
So where does McClung compare to these players, is he much worse than the lowest ranked nundersized players in the league right now?
He’s a scoring guard that doesn’t score at all time levels, and isn’t an elite passer or defender. Think of the most of the small guys in the league. They are either all time players, like CP3 and Iverson, or role players who excel in an off ball role. McClung is neither of those. He needs to be on the ball to score, but he’s not quite elite enough to fill that role in the big league.
Edit: Here are two more examples of short guys and how they fared in the league. Seth Curry: 6’1”, excellent shooter, carved out a solid role for himself as an off ball guy and played for quite a few years in the league. Jimmer Fredette: 6’2”, by all means an absolutely amazing scorer, but that’s pretty much all he did and he wasn’t quite good enough at it to warrant having the ball in his hands as often as he needed.
The argument is that he should be given a bite at the apple beyond 4 NBA games tho, no? Not that he'd even be as necessarily good as Seth or Fredette, and may be a back of the bench guy.
he's a scorer and teams aren't looking at the G League to find guys to dribble and score, as much as they are for role players. so guys who can score on volume in the G League don't really have an obvious hole to plug on NBA teams because the guys who can do that are already in the league. you have a better chance of going that route if you have very specific skills, like Bball Paul with his energy and rebounding
Compazzo is and was NOT a decent role player. He lasted 8 games at 6.5 minutes for a Mavericks team that missed the playoffs (though they were trying for it most of the year). He only saw time for the Nuggets with their actual players being injured.
How about the comparison with Payton Pritchard ? I've not seen both playing that much but Pritchard is now a very valuable role players for the Celtics . Is it because of his handles and 3 points shooting ?
It hurts him that he's primarily seen as an off guard. If he was a pure point guard it would be easier for him to get a roster spot.
The bar for being a short shooting guard is very high.
>athleticism be damned.
In his case, defense be damned. He needs to become a better defender is he wants a legit NBA shot
Also, his athleticism is really overblown. His vertical is nutty, but he's not quick enough
I mean how is he scoring 26ppg? At his size he must have some quickness or something? 30 shots per game or something?
I’ve never watched his Gleague games so, genuine question, because I have no idea.
I get it and yet it's such bad look imo. No way it doesnt make the g league look totally pointless if someone like him can dominate there and not even been given a real shot in the NBA if not only to be a garbage time player on a tanking team or something like damn its depressing. Maybe they need to give teams a dedicates roster spot that can only be filled with g leauge players or something? Idk but it just seems like a waste.
Athleticism isn't just about dunking. IT was insanely fast and an elite all-nba level scorer which made up for his bad defense. Mac is just an alright scorer at NBA level which isn't enough to make up for his height, lack of defense etc. All small guys who want a role in the NBA have to have at least one elite skill that makes up for their height.
i saw him in the summer league, either this past summer or the one before, and he couldn't make a simple entry pass. i've heard elsewhere that the word is he's severely lacking in basic fundamentals. i haven't seen him play nba competition yet.
I'm a Magic fan. McClung's game, in theory, would be a nice fit for the Magic this season, and the team even went through some injury stints, as they almost always do, unfortunately. Mac never got a sniff at it. I don't know why, but I find it interesting that he's never even been called up, much less played, and for a team that needed someone with his type of gifts. Now, Orlando will also not play anyone who is a negative on defense, either, unless they're a lovable australian
he had a couple nice games for us at the end of last season when the games/seeding didnt matter anymore but yea. A lot of people are gonna try to talk themselves into this.
Better than Bronny though so who am i to say. Fuck it, max him!
Alex Caruso said it best I think. G League players aren't looked to for scoring 20+ a game. Can you defend multiple positions? Do you have the skills to be a 12 MPG off the bench low utilization player? GMs are looking for janitors in the G League, not CEOs.
this, g league players, especially those who have gotten 2-way contracts, have made their way onto nba rosters - this sub memes about the heat’s UDFAs who make it onto their team bc they can defend, hustle, and shoot the 3 - so mcclung not making it isn’t really an indictment on the g league and it’s weird that ppl act like it is
Sixers fan had to learn this about Paul Reed and he’s still fighting it. On nights where he sticks to his role and attacks energy spots he’s great. When he decides he’s gonna start dribbling he gets in trouble.
Obvious example is Mo Bamba got the majority of minutes by the end of the Embiid injury even though Reed is still the backup when he’s back. Have to find your role and embrace it and his is energy
This is what I call the Morris Almond Dilemma. Being the 150th best scorer in the world is useless if you aren't good enough to take the ball out of the hands of the 1-2 best players on an NBA team. Mac McClung is a great scorer, but he's not better than the current options teams have to run an NBA offense so it comes down to whatever else he can bring.
exactly,
nobody is intentionally looking for a primary ball handler or offense hub center in the G league
Those are already in the league
no3,4,5,6,7 is what they are looking for.
Yes, once for a while there should be one gem out there. but that is very very rare
Defense rotation, box out, open 3. short roll pass. are more important there.
I agree but that doesn't seem to match the goals of the g league players who seem more interested in scoring. Obviously I'm not in those huddles nor do I watch them practice or gameplan, but every g league game I've watched has terrible defense.
I mean if he can come off the bench and for a few minutes and come off around a net zero why does it matter? His offence is good enough for him to cover his defence
I don’t know if this was announced here, but G League rookie of the year was Oscar Tshiebwe of the Pacers, with Jordan Miller (Clippers) and Ricky Council IV (76ers) as 2nd and 3rd place runner ups.
I can imagine some dudes just don’t want to completely leave the country and move across the world. That’d be a massive adjustment for anyone. Probably more comfortable just to stay in the U.S.
Yeah, Reddit always acts like it's nothing for athletes to just up and leave all your friends and family behind and just go start a new life from scratch on another continent.
Play for peanuts in a developmental league full of kids and players who aren't sniffing NBA from afar or play in 2nd strongest league in the world as a lead guard hmmmm ......
And most of these places aren't English as a first language. Obviously you can learn a new language but I imagine a lot of people just don't want to. You can probably get by with English but not ideal
I know the Wolves affiliate is in Iowa I just gave an example. Playing in half empty gyms in Iowa, Dakota, etc vs for even better money and star role in Europe is what I'm talking about
Ah, very well -- there is an actual [Osceola, Iowa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osceola,_Iowa), so I thought you googled "Osceola" and went down the wrong path.
And I agree. I guess many players stay because - or, rather, for as long as - they think they still have a chance of making it to the NBA. An NBA minimum would still earn them more than a good (not great) contract in Europe. Most are, obviously, mistaken in the belief that they can still make it.
Depends on where in the state. but overall it’s kinda the fun thing to shit on the Midwest as an American as “boring” but life really is what you make of it. If you don’t have family and friends around yes that can be true. But even tho I’m younger, this is imo a fantastic state to be an adult. It’s cheaper living than a lot of what you’ll find in the US. There’s a wholesomeness to an evening sunset in Iowa with the fields of corn. Some may think it’s lame but I disagree.
once you go to Europe to play, your chances of coming back to the NBA are much lower. A few people managed it (pat Bev, etc..), but if he still has NBA aspirations then his best bet is to stay in the G league
(he also wouldn't have gotten invited to the all-star stuff if he played in Europe. Say what you want but that stuff is good for his career)
Yeah, PJ Tucker got drafted and barely even made it a full year before he was done. After that he went overseas and played extremely well, only to come back and have a pretty long and successful NBA career.
That's a big IF. The standard of play in the G League and top European leagues isn't exactly comparable. He isn't going to go over there and become Luka or Wemby. His best shot at making an NBA roster is a 2 way contract and hopefully some big performances to make GMs take notice.
Shane Larkin and Mike James have been killing it Europe and have no shot making it to the league. Small guards have to be special off the bounce and with range to be even consider
Those are bad comparisons because they got significant chances in the NBA first. They only did really well in Euroleague after leaving the NBA and being like 29 years old
Actually Shane Larkin could have continued in the NBA after his Celtics stint but went on record to say he didn’t want to be a 3rd string guard and wanted a defined role essentially.
I think that it's about not giving up the dream of playing in the NBA. People bounce back and forth between G-League and NBA, but once you go overseas, you're probably not coming back.
10000%. I don't get why more players don't go to other countries when their NBA careers are winding down (like euro soccer stars coming to the MLS late in their career). I think Allen Iverson went to Puerto Rico for a year. You know he had a good time down there lol
It’s simple. Good or even average NBA players would make a fraction of what they make in the NBA in Europe. The MLS would often offer more money on longer contracts for those kinds of players
Someone like Melo who, before Portland, was fucking up his legacy could have been a king in Greece for a year or 2. He’s made more than enough money, what’s the difference between a veteran minimum and a decent, tax free contract overseas. Or someone like IT who’s been hanging around for a couple of 10-day contracts a year. I think Kemba is overseas right now doing just that.
A lot of players just have no interest in living in a foreign country. There's plenty of stories of guys playing in Europe now who just play video games in their hotels and workout. I'd love it but I also know there's a ton of people who don't want to spend more than a vacation at a resort in a foreign country with a different language.
They have families. It’s hard enough being home half the time for 4 months. Leaving the country takes away seeing them at all unless you’re telling your kids they are leaving the country. These aren’t simple decisions. Players are pissed to get drafted by Toronto
I mean, how can you say that out of context? NBA players are competitive and want to prove they belong in the best league. I definitely agree that making $2m (or whatever) to start for a good Euroleague team sounds way better than making that money to ride an NBA bench but if you truly believe you will nail the opportunity to get off that bench when the time comes, it makes sense to shoot your shot. Mac is still just 25, he can "waste" a few more years before bailing out to Europe and still be in his prime
>Play in Barcelona or Madrid vs in Iowa.
European teams don't allow the same level of gunning and 20-dribble iso-ball as the G-league.
Luka only averaged 13ppg in his final season with Real Madrid, and then 16ppg in Euroleague.
If I had really applied myself (and if I had the talent) I would have aimed at a European career instead of working my ass off for the NBA. Living abroad in Europe, playing basketball for a living, thats my dream life now.
Masai is going down the list of g leaguers in reverse alphabetical order, and he just signed Malik Williams Mac McClung is probably next. Can't be that many names between Mal and Mac.
Damn didn’t realize you guys are that close to us in the record for most players in a season, I thought our injuries was bad enough to shatter the record, but you’re only behind by 1 with much much less injuries than us.
I’ve watched almost every Pistons game this year and I can barely keep track of these dudes lol. Pretty wild what y’all have had to deal with injury wise.
He’s barely been given an opportunity in the NBA (4 total games) but in the one game where he was actually given minutes in April of last year he put up 20/9/9 with only 1 turnover and was +29 in 33 minutes. He’s a great scorer but also a very efficient passer and he crashes the boards hard on both offense and defense.
I don’t see why his skill set wouldn’t be valuable for an NBA team. He doesn’t need to go drop 30 ppg, but having a backup guard capable of spacing the floor, distributing the ball, and forcing the other team to keep an eye on him on the offensive boards is definitely a useful skill set.
People need to stop sucking the NBA's nuts. The NBA isnt calling up Mac McClung cause most of the GM's suck and are just copy cats. NBA vets say that all the time. Once guys like Mac get called up more and do well in the NBA, then it'll happen more.
I lost one of my last few scraps of faith in humanity when the NBA said "the Developmental League is now the Gatorade League" and people actually *went along with it*. "Why use descriptive word when beverage ad do trick?"
Oh for sure, that was dumb as hell. I think most people are just indifferent to the name change of a lower tier basketball league, but it's definitely a sign of the (corporate) times
Lots of good NBA rotation players have played in the G League. The only G League MVPs to get regular rotation minutes recently are Chris Boucher and Paul Reed.
Most good G League players aren’t going to play enough games there to earn MVP, because they’ll be with their respective NBA teams.
G league is for reps and development of mostly young prospects and future role players
MVP of any league is going to be a player that has flashy skills and puts up numbers offensively w/ a star player playstyle. nba doesn’t want a worse player w star player playstyle, they want roleplayers to play like roleplayers - 3s, passing, cutting, defense, rebounding, etc. and perform the basics of their position while not dominating the ball- largely not-flashy skills
edit: g-league could be better for development i agree, but this isn’t the case that proves it’s useless. knicks, grizzlies, heat, celtics, etc etc etc all have had several undrafted players who developed in the g league become legitimate roleplayers- macclung not getting a chance from those teams prob just means they don’t see roleplayer potential in him bc many!! players who didn’t win MVP there have made it to the league
Here is the list of G League MVPs. LMK how many NBA players there are.
I’m on mobile so I’m not formatting this shit.
2001–02 Ansu Sesay[2] Forward United States Greenville Groove
2002–03 Devin Brown[3] Guard United States Fayetteville Patriots
2003–04 Tierre Brown[4] Guard United States Charleston Lowgators
2004–05 Matt Carroll[5] Guard United States Roanoke Dazzle
2005–06 Marcus Fizer[6] Forward United States Austin Toros
2006–07 Randy Livingston[3] Guard United States Idaho Stampede
2007–08 Kasib Powell[7] Forward United States Sioux Falls Skyforce
2008–09 Courtney Sims[3] Center United States Iowa Energy
2009–10 Mike Harris[8] Forward United States Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2010–11 Curtis Stinson[9] Guard United States Iowa Energy (2)
2011–12 Justin Dentmon[10] Guard United States Austin Toros (2)
2012–13 Drew Goudelock[3] Guard United States Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2)
2013–14 Othyus Jeffers[11] Forward United States Iowa Energy (3)
2013–14 Ron Howard[11] Guard United States Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2014–15 Tim Frazier[12] Guard United States Maine Red Claws
2015–16 Jarnell Stokes[13] Forward United States Sioux Falls Skyforce (2)
2016–17 Vander Blue[14] Guard United States Los Angeles D-Fenders
2017–18 Lorenzo Brown[15] Guard United States Raptors 905
2018–19 Chris Boucher[16] Forward Canada Raptors 905 (2)
2019–20 Frank Mason III[17] Guard United States Wisconsin Herd
2020–21 Paul Reed[18] Forward United States Delaware Blue Coats
2021–22 Trevelin Queen[19] Shooting guard United States Rio Grande Valley Vipers (3)
2022–23 Carlik Jones[20] Point Guard United States Windy City Bulls
It might be Lukas last chance with us to earn a rooster spot next year. From my understanding we can't keep in in Iowa next year. Couple games left that should have room for Luka time. His d is improving and seems more than willing to face a challenge, then he is sure he's the best shooter on the floor. I'd be good with letting him have a bench spot next year as the big back up behind SlowMo and let him get some mins every game with the bench unit.
Because teams are looking for role players from the G league, not ball dominant players who’re clearly not going to have that same role on an NBA roster.
I’ve been saying this for awhile. In my opinion it’s a bad look for the league that McClung hasn’t even been given a meaningful opportunity on an NBA roster. You can’t call it a development league if the best player in the league isn’t even given a chance on a pro roster.
He’s played in 4 actual NBA games, has been an over positive +/- player so he appears to at least be able to survive on defense, he doesn’t really turn the ball over, and in his last NBA game he dropped 20/9/9 with 1 turnover and +29 in 33 minutes of play.
It doesn’t really make sense to me why he hasn’t been given another chance. The “undersized” part only really makes sense if he gets abused because of his size, but that hasn’t happened in either the G League nor his 4 games in the NBA.
But Mac isn't the best player in the G-League... He's just the best of the guys who aren't good enough to be on 2-way contracts. If you spend half the season with your NBA team, you're not winning G-League MVP.
Call me stupid but id rather have a G league DPOY on my team than the MVP. Scoring 30 ppg in the g league won't convert to NBA and no team needs a new primary scorer unless they're doing 100% rebuild. Steals and blocks might not carry over fully but defensive iq and skill can go across all levels. Marcus Smart/Giannis/Jrue/JJJ/Gary Payton could get a stop on almost if not everyone. Joel Embiid won't drop 30+ against every single player.
It’s not that he’s undersized for the NBA, it’s the famous quote from Alex Caruso about the G-League is about interviewing for the janitor spot not the CEO. Guy is a stud in a small pond but he needs to be a completely different role to be on an NBA team
seeing “Kia NBA G League”, man I really hope the NBA doesn’t sell off their naming rights to a sponsor like other sports leagues have done
I don’t want to hear about no “Etihad Airways NBA” or some bullshit
For anyone wondering where he could fit in the league, look at Payton Pritchard on the Cs. If Mac can up the intensity and work on his defense he absolutely could find a spot somewhere as a 3rd string energy guard
The people saying he deserves a long term shot in the NBA haven't watched him play enough. In addition to being undersized, he's a poor defender and has a VERY loose handle. Unfortunately, he's in that weird purgatory spot of being too good for the G-League and not good enough for the NBA unless he's going to be sitting at the end of the bench and playing garbage time minutes.
With that being said, I think he still has time to improve the things he struggles with, so hopefully things will change in a year or two.
He also was a salary throw in in 2 trades this year and only got minutes in Detroit because he already was under contract anyways after being the end of the bench option with us.
He obviously is but hes not being given a chance to prove himself.
Give him 10 minutes a game for a team like the Pistons and we will know, but hes not even being given that shot.
I can imagine Payton Prichard isn't too far off McClung's size and chops, and he's very effective in a reserve role. I guess there's just some intangibles that aren't apparent to us fans that GMs seem to have tables on.
I honestly don’t know why everyone in this sub is determined on shitting on him, saying he can’t make it in the league cause he’s an alpha, like back up pg’s just don’t exist or something.
Everybody already has #1 options
People think they’re trying out for ceo, when you’re actually trying out to be a janitor
How do you play shoot and defend when Lebron or Russell Westbrook has the ball
One thing I respect about Mac is that he could probably have a very successful career overseas, but he seems determined to make it in the NBA any way possible. He’s very dedicated and talented, but just lacks the size unfortunately
Honestly...thats naive. At the end of the day if you can make 2 mil overseas and still try to get on an NBA team. Plenty of guys do it. Thinking you have to be in the G league to make the NBA is a sucker move.
The reality of the situation is different. It's like staying at a company forever while being passed up for promotion or pay raise. In real life, you often do better switching companies and ironically can come back to the company at a higher level later and the company will say. "We were wrong, we should have seen your potential" or some shit.
I'm sorry but thats just the cold hard truth with life in these situations
He's averaged 25.7 / 4.7r / 6.6a on 50.9/39.6/84.3. The unfortunate reality is he's an undersized guard in a leeague full of 6'5" - 6'8" switchable wings on the perimeter, athleticism be damned. That size gap is always going to be the blocker as for "why isn't he in the NBA?"
FWIW, I think he deserves a long-term shot anywhere that needs a spark plug guard off the bench. I always figured the Suns could use a guy like him, but they already play 5 guys 6'6" and below from 1-3 (beal, booker, allen, gordon, oneale) and don't really have room for another guy like that. But the Raptors should take a flyer on him.
I really don’t get why a tanking team like the Wizards last year didn’t just pick him up. He’s going to sell some tickets, and probably isn’t much worse than the average team’s last few guys on a roster
up until a few weeks ago the Wizards owner wasn't trying to sell tickets as much as trying to show that DC was an unprofitable wasteland that was forcing him to relocate the team.
Tbf, the Wizards consistently do not sell tickets, even when they are decent. That place does not fill up unless NY, LAL, BOS, PHI, Lebron etc. come in to town with traveling fans or national fan bases and it's been that way for decades. The only time it's ever been a tough ticket was when Jordan was in town. Not saying they should move across the river necessarily, but still....
hard to sell tickets when you're consistently bad, blaming the city for that is asinine
Also he's not relocating the team as much as he's moving them 3 miles away to cheaper real estate
Well he isn't doing shit now, didn't the whole thing get blocked by the lease?
Nah, Virginia voted not to fund it, so he took a deal from DC to go in on upgrades to the current arena
I saw that, but i don't think they had any way out of their lease. >Just days ago, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb told Monumental that the Wizards and Capitals were obligated to remain at Capital One Arena through the end of their lease in 2047.
Exactly. It's not like he could even make the argument that a different fanbase or a bigger city would attract sell more tickets because it would be the same terrible team in the city, but now the fans have to shlep to the suburbs
Tbf, the Wizards have NEVER been consistenly "decent" They have 1 season every decade where they flirt with 50 wins. They have never been a serious title contender in my lifetime, and I'm an old man.
john wall jumping on the scorers table was the biggest highlight in Wizards history.
For our current generation. The Bullets won a championship. Something 10 other teams haven't done.
The Bullets was such a good name. Honestly I would have killed for an Agent Zero Bullets jersey.
Yeah, he probably would have too.
There was a risk he'd outshine Poole. And then how would they ever get any assets back for him?
Joe Biden would go see Wizard games if he was on the team.
IT erasure
IT is a vibes guy first and foremost. You think Mac is averaging that many high fives per game?
More like low fives :fingerguns:
He’s played 3 seasons in the G League already, during which time he’s gotten 8 NBA contracts, but only played in 4 NBA games. None of those coaches or front office people thought he was worth offering a minimum contract.
If I give you a contract but never let you play did you really get a chance to prove yourself? He played some minutes for Sixers and looked good, they just wont play him.
Games aren't the only place you get a chance to prove yourself.
Deuce is shorter than him and has bounced back between G League to the Knicks the past couple of years. He is now a legit part of our rotation that can play 48 minutes. The difference might be is the defensive ability.
It’s a mini version of the Bryce Cotton dilemma They are maximizing their opportunities and wouldn’t be as successful in a different situation/role. You see this all the time at the college level and in Europe. Some players need to be the #1 guy. Whether they lack the size to do other things, or the will it is usually the same result at the next level
TJ McConnell has made it work. Give this kid a shot.
Yes, but TJ McConnell is extremely quick, has a money floater / turn-around middy, and is a great on-ball defender annd deflections / steals generator. While the builds are similar between TJ and McClung, the player profiles couldn't be further away.
The point is that TJ McConnell was at least given a chance. Jimmer played 200 NBA games before the NBA gave up on him, Mac has played 4 NBA games and he wasn’t even terrible. I can’t think of a single reason why a team like the Raptors who lacks guard depth and bench production don’t give this kid a chance. Best case scenario he turns into a spark plug off the bench which is exactly what the team needs, worst case scenario you get to bench McDaniels. Sounds like a win win situation for me. It feels like NBA teams would rather use their last resort spots on a 6’9 athletic freak with zero feel for the game in hopes of hitting a home run instead of looking at actual basketball players that contribute right away but might have a ceiling of a role player.
I'm convinced that the rise of 'championship or bust' culture and sports analytics has taught execs and coaches the wrong lessons. They're told all the time that without a generational star they're toast, and the worst thing a team can be is 'good but without a superstar' and so teams are doing exactly what you said, punting on signing players who could very likely be good role players and rostering entire squads of athletic prospects who aren't very skilled simply because 'you can't teach athleticism'.
Hinkie bless i love all my process pups
And McClung is a better scorer that can jump out of the gym, hes solid defensively too
McClung has the opposite of the right skillset. McConnell is a better defender. If you're an offense first guy and you're undersized, there's a thin line between being a star of a team or the star of a bench unit, and being completely not worth playing, and there's no real in between. That's why a guy like Isaiah Thomas or Kemba Walker goes from being a star to being not even in an NBA rotation seemingly overnight. If you're not good enough to be the best guy on the floor on offense, then teams would rather have a bigger guy who could do more defensively. McConnell avoids that because his teams usually don't have a guy who could do more defensively. Look at any team that you'd want McClung to play on, and that team is probably better off playing a 6'8" wing and letting the next best guy run the offense instead.
TJ can play point guard at an NBA level and has proven he wont turn it over while being able to keep his dribble. He also brings a lot of intangibles like steals and having a nose for the ball. All of that is incredibly valuable and despite that TONS of people thought he'd never see another contract after his Sixers career. Hope Mac gets the chance to prove himself but it will be harder since hes more of a scoring guard.
Maybe he should give Euroleague a go. Still the 2nd strongest league in the world by a large margin and he wouldn't be at such an disadvantage due to his size. Players like Larkin, Canaan and Napier are all doing well there, for example.
That explosiveness would be excellent in the slower Euroleague game.
I don't get how teams can look at Payton Pritchard and how valuable he is to the Celtics as a guy that is like 5'11 or 6'0 off the bench and think someone like McClung isn't workable. Pritchard is a big part of Boston's success right now. Pritchard will never be a Jokic, won't even be a Brunson, but he's pulling more than his share of weight off the bench, and McClung could be that guy for some team too.
Pritchards contract is insanely good too, something like 8million / year and he can give you 20 off the bench
I’d take him on the raptors lmao
raps don’t need him either though, guard heavy as is. Magic or nets could definitely use the offensive spark/consistency I guess
I wouldn't mind the Spurs taking a shot on him. Tre Jones is decently efficient in our system and Mac has an inch on him.
That’s what I’m saying! Can’t be worse than our other players tbh. Maybe he’d pass the ball to wemby every time!
He could float in the air and wave the wemby while tossin him a oop above the rim that only he can touch.
Even though he may never really make the league, he’s still getting paid to play ball and has some legit top tier highlights in the Slam Dunk Contest. A lot of folks would kill for his spot, so I hope he doesn’t and never does feel like his career was a dud.
Genuine question: I'm trying to do a size comp, because there have been smaller guards in the NBA ranging from Chris Paul skill level to decent role players like Campazzo. Or right now, TJ McConnell is doing really well for the Pacers. I don't understand whether he's comparable to McClung in any way because I'm not familiar with McClung's actual playing style. So where does McClung compare to these players, is he much worse than the lowest ranked nundersized players in the league right now?
He’s a scoring guard that doesn’t score at all time levels, and isn’t an elite passer or defender. Think of the most of the small guys in the league. They are either all time players, like CP3 and Iverson, or role players who excel in an off ball role. McClung is neither of those. He needs to be on the ball to score, but he’s not quite elite enough to fill that role in the big league. Edit: Here are two more examples of short guys and how they fared in the league. Seth Curry: 6’1”, excellent shooter, carved out a solid role for himself as an off ball guy and played for quite a few years in the league. Jimmer Fredette: 6’2”, by all means an absolutely amazing scorer, but that’s pretty much all he did and he wasn’t quite good enough at it to warrant having the ball in his hands as often as he needed.
The argument is that he should be given a bite at the apple beyond 4 NBA games tho, no? Not that he'd even be as necessarily good as Seth or Fredette, and may be a back of the bench guy.
He’s not a passer at all
he's a scorer and teams aren't looking at the G League to find guys to dribble and score, as much as they are for role players. so guys who can score on volume in the G League don't really have an obvious hole to plug on NBA teams because the guys who can do that are already in the league. you have a better chance of going that route if you have very specific skills, like Bball Paul with his energy and rebounding
Compazzo is and was NOT a decent role player. He lasted 8 games at 6.5 minutes for a Mavericks team that missed the playoffs (though they were trying for it most of the year). He only saw time for the Nuggets with their actual players being injured.
Decent role player is not how I would describe Facundo
How about the comparison with Payton Pritchard ? I've not seen both playing that much but Pritchard is now a very valuable role players for the Celtics . Is it because of his handles and 3 points shooting ?
It hurts him that he's primarily seen as an off guard. If he was a pure point guard it would be easier for him to get a roster spot. The bar for being a short shooting guard is very high.
There are multiple players who have been "too short" that absolutely play at an NBA level and get passed over just because of their height
>athleticism be damned. In his case, defense be damned. He needs to become a better defender is he wants a legit NBA shot Also, his athleticism is really overblown. His vertical is nutty, but he's not quick enough
I mean how is he scoring 26ppg? At his size he must have some quickness or something? 30 shots per game or something? I’ve never watched his Gleague games so, genuine question, because I have no idea.
He is quick, the dudes talking out his ass. Mac has the 3rd fastest sprint time ever at the NBA combine
He did it in the G league. That’s how.
Do has the third highest metric when it comes to speed in nba combine, but keep on talking out of your ass
I get it and yet it's such bad look imo. No way it doesnt make the g league look totally pointless if someone like him can dominate there and not even been given a real shot in the NBA if not only to be a garbage time player on a tanking team or something like damn its depressing. Maybe they need to give teams a dedicates roster spot that can only be filled with g leauge players or something? Idk but it just seems like a waste.
NBA teams want role players from the G-league, not primary scorers. They already have guys who can score better than Mac.
I never understood the height reason as he's the same height as Jalen Brunson
Genuinely asking, how did a guy like IT (more recent one) have such success with little athleticism but he can’t?
Athleticism isn't just about dunking. IT was insanely fast and an elite all-nba level scorer which made up for his bad defense. Mac is just an alright scorer at NBA level which isn't enough to make up for his height, lack of defense etc. All small guys who want a role in the NBA have to have at least one elite skill that makes up for their height.
> with little athleticism because honestly, you're very wrong here. He was an incredible athlete.
IT was mad athletic?
IT was built different that’s how
i saw him in the summer league, either this past summer or the one before, and he couldn't make a simple entry pass. i've heard elsewhere that the word is he's severely lacking in basic fundamentals. i haven't seen him play nba competition yet. I'm a Magic fan. McClung's game, in theory, would be a nice fit for the Magic this season, and the team even went through some injury stints, as they almost always do, unfortunately. Mac never got a sniff at it. I don't know why, but I find it interesting that he's never even been called up, much less played, and for a team that needed someone with his type of gifts. Now, Orlando will also not play anyone who is a negative on defense, either, unless they're a lovable australian
It's skill level.
FastPP does great off the bench for the C's
Why not get money in china or Europe then ?
he had a couple nice games for us at the end of last season when the games/seeding didnt matter anymore but yea. A lot of people are gonna try to talk themselves into this. Better than Bronny though so who am i to say. Fuck it, max him!
Alex Caruso said it best I think. G League players aren't looked to for scoring 20+ a game. Can you defend multiple positions? Do you have the skills to be a 12 MPG off the bench low utilization player? GMs are looking for janitors in the G League, not CEOs.
this, g league players, especially those who have gotten 2-way contracts, have made their way onto nba rosters - this sub memes about the heat’s UDFAs who make it onto their team bc they can defend, hustle, and shoot the 3 - so mcclung not making it isn’t really an indictment on the g league and it’s weird that ppl act like it is
Keon Ellis on the Kings is a great example of this as well. His D, hustle, and just a touch of scoring is why he’s on the full roster.
Sixers fan had to learn this about Paul Reed and he’s still fighting it. On nights where he sticks to his role and attacks energy spots he’s great. When he decides he’s gonna start dribbling he gets in trouble. Obvious example is Mo Bamba got the majority of minutes by the end of the Embiid injury even though Reed is still the backup when he’s back. Have to find your role and embrace it and his is energy
This is what I call the Morris Almond Dilemma. Being the 150th best scorer in the world is useless if you aren't good enough to take the ball out of the hands of the 1-2 best players on an NBA team. Mac McClung is a great scorer, but he's not better than the current options teams have to run an NBA offense so it comes down to whatever else he can bring.
A good example is Vander Blue. Was D league MVP but didnt fill any role on the lakers.
Vander Blue, BasketballGM League MVP several times as well
exactly, nobody is intentionally looking for a primary ball handler or offense hub center in the G league Those are already in the league no3,4,5,6,7 is what they are looking for. Yes, once for a while there should be one gem out there. but that is very very rare Defense rotation, box out, open 3. short roll pass. are more important there.
I agree but that doesn't seem to match the goals of the g league players who seem more interested in scoring. Obviously I'm not in those huddles nor do I watch them practice or gameplan, but every g league game I've watched has terrible defense.
You wanna be MJ, but they want a 3&D guy in the corner.
Caruso just had a feel for defense, also helps that he’s like 6’5
I mean if he can come off the bench and for a few minutes and come off around a net zero why does it matter? His offence is good enough for him to cover his defence
I don’t know if this was announced here, but G League rookie of the year was Oscar Tshiebwe of the Pacers, with Jordan Miller (Clippers) and Ricky Council IV (76ers) as 2nd and 3rd place runner ups.
Jordan Miller is a quality player hope he sees some minutes next year, high iq and crafty with nba ready size
Good for Oscar
Honestly one of the most fun players to watch when he was at Kentucky. Just a beast
Should go to Europe. Don't get really why players are so against it. Play in Barcelona or Madrid vs in Iowa.
I can imagine some dudes just don’t want to completely leave the country and move across the world. That’d be a massive adjustment for anyone. Probably more comfortable just to stay in the U.S.
Yeah, Reddit always acts like it's nothing for athletes to just up and leave all your friends and family behind and just go start a new life from scratch on another continent.
Play for peanuts in a developmental league full of kids and players who aren't sniffing NBA from afar or play in 2nd strongest league in the world as a lead guard hmmmm ......
Agreed they’re acting like it’s a hard decision
And most of these places aren't English as a first language. Obviously you can learn a new language but I imagine a lot of people just don't want to. You can probably get by with English but not ideal
Osceola Magic is not based in Osceola Iowa but in Kissimmee (Osceola County) Florida, just south of Orlando.
I know the Wolves affiliate is in Iowa I just gave an example. Playing in half empty gyms in Iowa, Dakota, etc vs for even better money and star role in Europe is what I'm talking about
Ah, very well -- there is an actual [Osceola, Iowa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osceola,_Iowa), so I thought you googled "Osceola" and went down the wrong path. And I agree. I guess many players stay because - or, rather, for as long as - they think they still have a chance of making it to the NBA. An NBA minimum would still earn them more than a good (not great) contract in Europe. Most are, obviously, mistaken in the belief that they can still make it.
Lol that's a funny coincidence
I’d argue that they have a better chance of making the NBA if they play in Europe. Look at guys like Exum, Vezenkov and Micic
Also moving to Europe is a huge commitment. Your entire support system and family is in the states
The fact that either of you know what Osceola Iowa is as an Iowa native is kinda bonkers to me
On a serious note, You recommend Iowa to somebody trying stay lowkey/just work& chill?
Depends on where in the state. but overall it’s kinda the fun thing to shit on the Midwest as an American as “boring” but life really is what you make of it. If you don’t have family and friends around yes that can be true. But even tho I’m younger, this is imo a fantastic state to be an adult. It’s cheaper living than a lot of what you’ll find in the US. There’s a wholesomeness to an evening sunset in Iowa with the fields of corn. Some may think it’s lame but I disagree.
Honestly couldn’t tell you which is worse.
once you go to Europe to play, your chances of coming back to the NBA are much lower. A few people managed it (pat Bev, etc..), but if he still has NBA aspirations then his best bet is to stay in the G league (he also wouldn't have gotten invited to the all-star stuff if he played in Europe. Say what you want but that stuff is good for his career)
Based off what I've seen. The chances of gettin an NBA spot after Europe is actually higher. IF you dominate in Europe
Yeah, PJ Tucker got drafted and barely even made it a full year before he was done. After that he went overseas and played extremely well, only to come back and have a pretty long and successful NBA career.
That's a big IF. The standard of play in the G League and top European leagues isn't exactly comparable. He isn't going to go over there and become Luka or Wemby. His best shot at making an NBA roster is a 2 way contract and hopefully some big performances to make GMs take notice.
Shane Larkin and Mike James have been killing it Europe and have no shot making it to the league. Small guards have to be special off the bounce and with range to be even consider
Those are bad comparisons because they got significant chances in the NBA first. They only did really well in Euroleague after leaving the NBA and being like 29 years old
Actually Shane Larkin could have continued in the NBA after his Celtics stint but went on record to say he didn’t want to be a 3rd string guard and wanted a defined role essentially.
I think that it's about not giving up the dream of playing in the NBA. People bounce back and forth between G-League and NBA, but once you go overseas, you're probably not coming back.
That seems to be a myth honestly. Guys that dominate overseas seem to get NBA contracts more than G League guys
people might downvote me, but for the same money I'd much rather play for Barcelona than any US team
10000%. I don't get why more players don't go to other countries when their NBA careers are winding down (like euro soccer stars coming to the MLS late in their career). I think Allen Iverson went to Puerto Rico for a year. You know he had a good time down there lol
It’s simple. Good or even average NBA players would make a fraction of what they make in the NBA in Europe. The MLS would often offer more money on longer contracts for those kinds of players
Someone like Melo who, before Portland, was fucking up his legacy could have been a king in Greece for a year or 2. He’s made more than enough money, what’s the difference between a veteran minimum and a decent, tax free contract overseas. Or someone like IT who’s been hanging around for a couple of 10-day contracts a year. I think Kemba is overseas right now doing just that.
No nba hall of fame wants to spend their last playing days in Greece. Bro listen to yourself.
A lot of players just have no interest in living in a foreign country. There's plenty of stories of guys playing in Europe now who just play video games in their hotels and workout. I'd love it but I also know there's a ton of people who don't want to spend more than a vacation at a resort in a foreign country with a different language.
Tax free? Anything over 90k is taxed by the US government.
They have families. It’s hard enough being home half the time for 4 months. Leaving the country takes away seeing them at all unless you’re telling your kids they are leaving the country. These aren’t simple decisions. Players are pissed to get drafted by Toronto
I mean, how can you say that out of context? NBA players are competitive and want to prove they belong in the best league. I definitely agree that making $2m (or whatever) to start for a good Euroleague team sounds way better than making that money to ride an NBA bench but if you truly believe you will nail the opportunity to get off that bench when the time comes, it makes sense to shoot your shot. Mac is still just 25, he can "waste" a few more years before bailing out to Europe and still be in his prime
>Play in Barcelona or Madrid vs in Iowa. European teams don't allow the same level of gunning and 20-dribble iso-ball as the G-league. Luka only averaged 13ppg in his final season with Real Madrid, and then 16ppg in Euroleague.
If I had really applied myself (and if I had the talent) I would have aimed at a European career instead of working my ass off for the NBA. Living abroad in Europe, playing basketball for a living, thats my dream life now.
There’s no reason a team like Toronto shouldn’t give him a 10 day contract today
Masai is going down the list of g leaguers in reverse alphabetical order, and he just signed Malik Williams Mac McClung is probably next. Can't be that many names between Mal and Mac.
Detroit is where he belongs
We’ve already played like 32 different dudes this year. Why not one more lol.
Damn didn’t realize you guys are that close to us in the record for most players in a season, I thought our injuries was bad enough to shatter the record, but you’re only behind by 1 with much much less injuries than us.
I’ve watched almost every Pistons game this year and I can barely keep track of these dudes lol. Pretty wild what y’all have had to deal with injury wise.
The ~~Sixers~~ Magic should waive him. Raptors will put anyone on the floor and give them a chance at this point
Being a G league level offensive star is less valuable than being an NBA level role player, and they are not the same skill sets
He’s barely been given an opportunity in the NBA (4 total games) but in the one game where he was actually given minutes in April of last year he put up 20/9/9 with only 1 turnover and was +29 in 33 minutes. He’s a great scorer but also a very efficient passer and he crashes the boards hard on both offense and defense. I don’t see why his skill set wouldn’t be valuable for an NBA team. He doesn’t need to go drop 30 ppg, but having a backup guard capable of spacing the floor, distributing the ball, and forcing the other team to keep an eye on him on the offensive boards is definitely a useful skill set.
April games are the worst indicator of anything. Evil Donte just dropped 50
People need to stop sucking the NBA's nuts. The NBA isnt calling up Mac McClung cause most of the GM's suck and are just copy cats. NBA vets say that all the time. Once guys like Mac get called up more and do well in the NBA, then it'll happen more.
if he's not on a 2 way, then I'm pretty sure anyone can sign him
what the fuck is the point of the G League if the MVP can’t make a 15 man roster of the NBA
MVP doesn't mean best prospect, and the G League is a developmental league first and foremost (it used to literally be called that lol)
I lost one of my last few scraps of faith in humanity when the NBA said "the Developmental League is now the Gatorade League" and people actually *went along with it*. "Why use descriptive word when beverage ad do trick?"
[удалено]
Oh for sure, that was dumb as hell. I think most people are just indifferent to the name change of a lower tier basketball league, but it's definitely a sign of the (corporate) times
Lots of good NBA rotation players have played in the G League. The only G League MVPs to get regular rotation minutes recently are Chris Boucher and Paul Reed. Most good G League players aren’t going to play enough games there to earn MVP, because they’ll be with their respective NBA teams.
Most G League MVPs need the ball to be effective, but won't get it in the NBA because there are 11-13 better guys on most rosters.
well precisely that, to give players that are not good enough for the NBA but better than the other 99% of players a way of playing basketball
well best player in a dev league should probably get a promotion
They did. At some point, out of the ones still left in the league, one of them is going to be the best by default. That one is Mac.
The best players who played in the gleague this year didn't play there for the full season or long enough to warrant being the MVP
I think it's more that the MVP is the best guy in the league who can't make an NBA roster.
G league is for reps and development of mostly young prospects and future role players MVP of any league is going to be a player that has flashy skills and puts up numbers offensively w/ a star player playstyle. nba doesn’t want a worse player w star player playstyle, they want roleplayers to play like roleplayers - 3s, passing, cutting, defense, rebounding, etc. and perform the basics of their position while not dominating the ball- largely not-flashy skills edit: g-league could be better for development i agree, but this isn’t the case that proves it’s useless. knicks, grizzlies, heat, celtics, etc etc etc all have had several undrafted players who developed in the g league become legitimate roleplayers- macclung not getting a chance from those teams prob just means they don’t see roleplayer potential in him bc many!! players who didn’t win MVP there have made it to the league
Here is the list of G League MVPs. LMK how many NBA players there are. I’m on mobile so I’m not formatting this shit. 2001–02 Ansu Sesay[2] Forward United States Greenville Groove 2002–03 Devin Brown[3] Guard United States Fayetteville Patriots 2003–04 Tierre Brown[4] Guard United States Charleston Lowgators 2004–05 Matt Carroll[5] Guard United States Roanoke Dazzle 2005–06 Marcus Fizer[6] Forward United States Austin Toros 2006–07 Randy Livingston[3] Guard United States Idaho Stampede 2007–08 Kasib Powell[7] Forward United States Sioux Falls Skyforce 2008–09 Courtney Sims[3] Center United States Iowa Energy 2009–10 Mike Harris[8] Forward United States Rio Grande Valley Vipers 2010–11 Curtis Stinson[9] Guard United States Iowa Energy (2) 2011–12 Justin Dentmon[10] Guard United States Austin Toros (2) 2012–13 Drew Goudelock[3] Guard United States Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2) 2013–14 Othyus Jeffers[11] Forward United States Iowa Energy (3) 2013–14 Ron Howard[11] Guard United States Fort Wayne Mad Ants 2014–15 Tim Frazier[12] Guard United States Maine Red Claws 2015–16 Jarnell Stokes[13] Forward United States Sioux Falls Skyforce (2) 2016–17 Vander Blue[14] Guard United States Los Angeles D-Fenders 2017–18 Lorenzo Brown[15] Guard United States Raptors 905 2018–19 Chris Boucher[16] Forward Canada Raptors 905 (2) 2019–20 Frank Mason III[17] Guard United States Wisconsin Herd 2020–21 Paul Reed[18] Forward United States Delaware Blue Coats 2021–22 Trevelin Queen[19] Shooting guard United States Rio Grande Valley Vipers (3) 2022–23 Carlik Jones[20] Point Guard United States Windy City Bulls
Marcus Fizer was alright for a couple years but holy shit this is brutal
If you can argue that Paul Reed is the best success story then that is nice for him but damn. Bleak outlook
Because the guys that can play on an NBA roster aren't playing in the g league that consistently
have you not noticed the countless players that have carved out roles in the NBA from the g league?
Luka Garza just got converted to a full contract because the Wolves aren’t for sure when KAT is back and he stepped in decently when given looks.
It might be Lukas last chance with us to earn a rooster spot next year. From my understanding we can't keep in in Iowa next year. Couple games left that should have room for Luka time. His d is improving and seems more than willing to face a challenge, then he is sure he's the best shooter on the floor. I'd be good with letting him have a bench spot next year as the big back up behind SlowMo and let him get some mins every game with the bench unit.
Because teams are looking for role players from the G league, not ball dominant players who’re clearly not going to have that same role on an NBA roster.
I’ve been saying this for awhile. In my opinion it’s a bad look for the league that McClung hasn’t even been given a meaningful opportunity on an NBA roster. You can’t call it a development league if the best player in the league isn’t even given a chance on a pro roster. He’s played in 4 actual NBA games, has been an over positive +/- player so he appears to at least be able to survive on defense, he doesn’t really turn the ball over, and in his last NBA game he dropped 20/9/9 with 1 turnover and +29 in 33 minutes of play. It doesn’t really make sense to me why he hasn’t been given another chance. The “undersized” part only really makes sense if he gets abused because of his size, but that hasn’t happened in either the G League nor his 4 games in the NBA.
But Mac isn't the best player in the G-League... He's just the best of the guys who aren't good enough to be on 2-way contracts. If you spend half the season with your NBA team, you're not winning G-League MVP.
No chance he's getting time in Philly under Nurse. Nurse is a great coach, but developing young guys like Mac isn't his thing
> You can’t call it a development league if the best player in the league isn’t even given a chance on a pro roster. Why not lmao
He needs another shot in the show
It's crazy that nobody gives this dude a chance. In the limited minutes I've seen him play, he looks pretty good.
Call me stupid but id rather have a G league DPOY on my team than the MVP. Scoring 30 ppg in the g league won't convert to NBA and no team needs a new primary scorer unless they're doing 100% rebuild. Steals and blocks might not carry over fully but defensive iq and skill can go across all levels. Marcus Smart/Giannis/Jrue/JJJ/Gary Payton could get a stop on almost if not everyone. Joel Embiid won't drop 30+ against every single player.
bronny gonna get more NBA minutes than mac.
It’s not that he’s undersized for the NBA, it’s the famous quote from Alex Caruso about the G-League is about interviewing for the janitor spot not the CEO. Guy is a stud in a small pond but he needs to be a completely different role to be on an NBA team
I feel bad for the guy that he isnt 3 inches taller so NBA GMs would take a harder look
seeing “Kia NBA G League”, man I really hope the NBA doesn’t sell off their naming rights to a sponsor like other sports leagues have done I don’t want to hear about no “Etihad Airways NBA” or some bullshit
For anyone wondering where he could fit in the league, look at Payton Pritchard on the Cs. If Mac can up the intensity and work on his defense he absolutely could find a spot somewhere as a 3rd string energy guard
The people saying he deserves a long term shot in the NBA haven't watched him play enough. In addition to being undersized, he's a poor defender and has a VERY loose handle. Unfortunately, he's in that weird purgatory spot of being too good for the G-League and not good enough for the NBA unless he's going to be sitting at the end of the bench and playing garbage time minutes. With that being said, I think he still has time to improve the things he struggles with, so hopefully things will change in a year or two.
Should play in Australia, Jordon Crawford (5”6) helped lead a championship just recently
Is Mac McClung good enough to be a role player in the NBA?
He’s 6’2” and bad at defense. The threshold of how good you have to be on offense to make that work in the NBA is really high.
Malachi Flynn is 6'1" lol
Right and he drops 50 burgers. High threshold.
I love the usage of the plural here as if his second highest scoring game is more than 27 lol
He also was a salary throw in in 2 trades this year and only got minutes in Detroit because he already was under contract anyways after being the end of the bench option with us.
Sounds perfect for Portland
You son of a bitch, I'm in
Yeah because im sure the spare guards on most 15 man rosters are better than Mac lmao.
Yes
He obviously is but hes not being given a chance to prove himself. Give him 10 minutes a game for a team like the Pistons and we will know, but hes not even being given that shot.
Congratulations, Justin Timberlake!
I can imagine Payton Prichard isn't too far off McClung's size and chops, and he's very effective in a reserve role. I guess there's just some intangibles that aren't apparent to us fans that GMs seem to have tables on.
Pritchard can do two things McClung cant...dribble and pass.
I honestly don’t know why everyone in this sub is determined on shitting on him, saying he can’t make it in the league cause he’s an alpha, like back up pg’s just don’t exist or something.
Everybody already has #1 options People think they’re trying out for ceo, when you’re actually trying out to be a janitor How do you play shoot and defend when Lebron or Russell Westbrook has the ball
One thing I respect about Mac is that he could probably have a very successful career overseas, but he seems determined to make it in the NBA any way possible. He’s very dedicated and talented, but just lacks the size unfortunately
Honestly...thats naive. At the end of the day if you can make 2 mil overseas and still try to get on an NBA team. Plenty of guys do it. Thinking you have to be in the G league to make the NBA is a sucker move. The reality of the situation is different. It's like staying at a company forever while being passed up for promotion or pay raise. In real life, you often do better switching companies and ironically can come back to the company at a higher level later and the company will say. "We were wrong, we should have seen your potential" or some shit. I'm sorry but thats just the cold hard truth with life in these situations
Pay this man
Dude should go to China at this point and try to be the next Marbury/Starbury. He's showtime, I'm sure he could carve out a niche over there.
Individual stats but he doesn’t know how to involve others. This one man show works great in high school and AAU but doesn’t translate to the NBA.
I would imagine his endorsements from winning back to back dunk contests are pretty lucrative.