The great teams in this league always seem to find an unheralded player off the scrap heap and turn him into a productive and helpful player. For the Golden State Warriors, that guy in 2018-19 was Alfonzo McKinnie.
We here at Warriors Wire continue our look back at the season by recapping McKinnie’s season as he turned into a solid and reliable part of coach Steve Kerr’s rotation.
2018-19 averages:
4.7 points
3.4 rebounds
0.4 assists
48.7 percent overall
35.6 percent from deep
The Warriors picked up McKinnie out of the G-League and he found his niche in Golden State. He had six games where he scored in double figures while playing in 72 games total and he had a season high of 19 points against the Chicago Bulls early in the season. He became a reliable spot up shooter in the offense and he continued to gain Kerr’s trust.
In the playoffs, he did have his struggles averaging three points and 2.3 rebounds and shooting only 31.3 percent from deep, but he had a solid Western Conference Finals averaging 5.8 points and shooting 50 percent from deep including earning a start in the sweep over the Portland Trail Blazers. He clearly has some game to him and his defense was a nice addition out on the perimeter.
In 2019-20, the Warriors will have to rely on McKinnie even more as they handle the big injuries to stars Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. If his past season was any indication, he may be ready for a bigger role in The Bay.
