National Basketball Association

JaVale McGee proves players can change later in career

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The maturity of JaVale McGee and his battle for a roster spot proves that players can still mature later on in their careers.

With a roster that is set to compete for a championship, the Golden State Warriors don’t have many spots available. JaVale McGee is one of those players fighting for one of the last spots on the roster and he is proving to be making a good impression on the rest of his teammates.

Throughout his career, McGee has had flashes of being a good rotational center in this league, but mental lapses and bouncing around the league really kept him from taking off. In an environment like Golden State, McGee seems to be fitting in and his teammates love him.

Whether he makes the roster or not, his preseason goes to show that players can make a change later in his career. With the salary cap era and teams always looking for the next big thing or being quick to pull the trigger, guys like McGee find themselves out of a job real quick.

McGee is still only 28 years old and isn’t exactly an aging center by any means, but he has been in the league long enough to know what it’s all about. He came into the league in the 2008 draft, which feels like an eternity at this point.

That experience has really gone a long way for McGee and his career has almost spanned a decade to this point. If he can prove worthy of earning a spot with Golden State, he might just push it to a decade.

Before teams cast aside veterans and assume they are what they are, guys like McGee should serve as a reminder. You can’t overlook someone that’s been around the league and someone that is willing to do what it takes to earn a paycheck.