James Michael McAdoo Impresses in NBA Debut
Golden State Warriors fans saw many exciting, jaw-dropping plays in the Warriors’ blowout of the Denver Nuggets last night, but one of the most impressive parts of last night’s game was James Michael McAdoo‘s NBA regular season debut.
On January 18th, the Warriors signed McAdoo to a 10-day contract. McAdoo also had an offer from the Memphis Grizzlies, but he chose the Warriors, the team that he played for in the 2014 NBA Summer League and the team that gave him a training camp invite, over the Grizzlies.
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McAdoo didn’t make the Warriors’ final roster out of training camp (the final spot on the roster went to Justin Holiday), but McAdoo stayed in the Warriors’ organization, as he has been playing for the Warriors’ D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. With the Santa Cruz Warriors this season, he has been averaging 17.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game.
McAdoo went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft, so his path to the NBA hasn’t quite been conventional. However, he’s worked hard in the D-League, and he now has a chance to prove himself during this 10-day contract with the Warriors.
In last night’s game against the Nuggets, McAdoo played just 13 minutes, but he was so impressive in those 13 minutes that he earned a standing ovation from Oracle Arena. Dub Nation praised him for a monstrous block that he had, and they clearly appreciated his effort even though the game had already been decided.
Diamond Leung of the San Jose Mercury News reported what McAdoo said about the standing ovation and what Curry said about McAdoo’s effort after the game:
"“That’s something I’ll remember for a long time,” McAdoo said.Curry was fired up just from watching on the bench.“Obviously, we’re a big-time supporter in the locker room of guys playing well,” Curry said. “We weren’t searching for plays to cheer for. He was out there crashing the glass on both ends of the floor and protecting the rim and just being physical like he’s supposed to do, so it’s fun to see.”"
In those 13 minutes, McAdoo scored 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting, grabbed five rebounds, and blocked one shot.
Here are highlights from McAdoo’s NBA debut:
McAdoo certainly impressed on the court last night, but he also impressed off the court. After last night’s game, McAdoo spoke with reporters about his performance, and he showed his calm demeanor, his gratitude, and his humility. He’s glad to be on this Warriors team, and he wants to contribute in any way he can.
“This is one of the, if not the, closest team I’ve been on. One through 15,” McAdoo said after last night’s game. “Everyone cheers for everybody, and everybody just wants to win. For me, personally, to be called up to the number one team in the NBA right now is amazing just to be able to go out there and help contribute any way I can, just to go out there and help make winning plays.”
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr awarded McAdoo the game ball after the win last night. We’ll see how many minutes Kerr is able to give to McAdoo during the rest of his contract, and we’ll see if McAdoo can continue to display his athleticism and bring the same amount of energy that he did last night.