Strengths: Long athletic bigman who is absolutely bursting with potential Runs the floor exceptionally well Improving at a rapid pace on both ends of the floor. Has freakishly long arms: around a 7-6 wingspan which makes him a great rebounder and shot blocker Can really become a force defensively when he adds strength and discipline on opponent’s shot fakes His length makes it extremely difficult for opponents to get shots over His offensive game is showing a lot of promise with developing back to the basket skills. He even shows some ability to face the basket and make drives or spot up Has a competitive spirit that is not apparent in many bigmen who picked up the game because of their size. A late bloomer who went underrecruited out of Chicago. McGee’s parents were both professional basketball players so he has been around the game from a young age Shows solid form and touch on his shot Has a tremendous frame which should allow him to get much stronger and retain his great agility and athleticism Gives great effort and shows very good stamina for a bigman his age Added strength will give him better balance and make him a lot more effective imposing his will inside Has the potential to be a top 5-10 center in the league someday (if he’s patient about entering the NBA) Has even shown the ability to knock down shots from college 3, no question influenced by the presence of Nick Fazekas last year

Weaknesses: Still must gain maturity. He gets frustrated far too easily and loses his composure quickly when calls go against him, or when he’s struggling Still growing into his body and game, learning what he’s capable of and steadily becoming a factor night in and night out Needs to develop some go to moves. A reliable jump hook would make him an absolute force Must improve from the free throw line (50% won’t cut it). He has solid shooting touch and should be able to raise his FT shooting to at least 70-75 percent over time if he develops a consistent routine and works at it Should be wary of leaving school early. It’s likely he would be a first rounder this year, but a third year in college would really help him in the long run as he would be much better prepared for the NBA and not run the risk of losing confidence and falling short of his full potential

Notes: McGee’s parents were both professional basketball players. His father, George Montgomery starred at Illinois and was a second-round draft pick in 1985 by the Portland Trailblazers. His mother Pamela McGee, and her twin sister, Paula, were All-Americans who led USC to NCAA National titles in 1983 and 1984 Pamela also played and coached in the WNBA and is now a high school coach in Sacramento In JaVale’s freshman season he saw little playing time playing behind WAC player of the year and NBA draft pick Nick Fazekas.