Golden State Warriors Mailbag: Spurs, McAdoo, Rest

January 19, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward James Michael McAdoo (20) grabs a rebound against the Denver Nuggets during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Nuggets 122-79. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

First of all, thank you to Jamie for submitting two questions to both Mailbag articles this week. You’re a champ, Jamie.

McAdoo has been a nice surprise this season. He was in training camp with the Warriors and competed for the last spot on their roster. He fell a little short, but he’s been impressive since being called up from the Santa Cruz Warriors. His stats might not blow you away, but he has shown great energy, defensive instincts, and a sense of belonging during his time in the NBA.

Although McAdoo has shown promise in his time with the Warriors so far, I don’t believe he will see many or any minutes in the postseason. This all could change due to injuries, of course, but Marreese Speights, David Lee, and Festus Ezeli are ahead of him on the depth charts and in the rotation. In addition, it’s quite possible that one or two of those players don’t even get many minutes in the playoffs either.

McAdoo is fighting an uphill battle right now to gain playing time in the playoffs. He’s received somewhat inconsistent playing time so far with the Warriors, and as playoff rotations become slimmer, that could mean even less minutes than he’s seeing now.

There’s a small chance, depending on potential injuries or matchups, that he could come in for short spurts for defensive purposes (similar to Kent Bazemore‘s role in the 2013 NBA Playoffs), but that’s still somewhat slim, since Ezeli is healthy and is a defensive-minded player as well.

I believe that McAdoo has a bright future with the Warriors or in the NBA. He won’t necessarily become a superstar, but I see potential in him to become a consistent contributor off the bench in perhaps a Brandan Wright type of role. However, it’s not quite his time to shine yet.

He should watch the Warriors closely in the playoffs though, because that will still be invaluable experience, especially for a young, up-and-coming player.

Next: Resting the Starters