Seven years ago, JaVale came through Dallas and left a big impression.
That was the problem.
He was too big.
While McGee’s return this season has had some ups and downs, the biggest reason why the Mavericks are happy to have the 7-footer back is because he’s a trimmed-down version of the guy who was ineffective back in 2015-16.
McGee says he’s playing at somewhere between 255 and 260 pounds, which is a big drop from where he was the first time around with the Mavericks.
“About 20 to 25 pounds,” he said.